"...And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he was given us."
~Romans 5:2-5
I don't know how your month of November has been going, but mine has been difficult. November 1, I found out one of my favorite teachers from middle school was found dead in his apartment. I came home for the visitation and it was one of the most difficult things I have ever done--stand in a room and listen to everyone talk about how he died. The following week, I found out my dad very sick, my mom hadn't seen him so ill since he had his appendicitis attack when I was in eighth grade. The day after that, Mom called and told me my grandpa was in the hospital because of his heart condition. The next week, one of my friends from high school was in the hospital with appendicitis, the day he was having surgery his dad was also admitted to the hospital for kidney stones. Through all of this, my mom has been having serious problems with her right arm. Every week, there has been something new. Some new kind of suffering.
The good news that today brings, my dad is doing quite well, my grandpa is out of the hospital, my friend is recovering, and his dad is doing much better. Mom is still healing, but she's getting there. And my teacher...well, I pray he's in heaven.
This verse has been my motto whenever medical emergencies come up. Or really, when anything bad happens, I look back to Romans 5.
Now, this month, I have failed at rejoicing in my sufferings. While these things were not directly happening to me, they had a serious effect on how I was doing with my school work. We won't get into my emotional state other than it was pretty rocky for a while.
What does it mean to rejoice in our sufferings? I don't think that the passage is saying that the scenario should go like this: "I was just diagnosed with cancer. Woohoo! Let's go celebrate!" No. In fact, that's just ridiculous. I think that we can rejoice in our sufferings by simply reminding ourselves that everything happens for a reason and that something good will come from it. If anything, we gain hope in God.
From our sufferings we gain perseverance. If you wear a back brace for over two years and then find out you need to wear a brace on you arm for tendonitis or tennis elbow a few years later, the time you spend in the arm brace isn't going to seem all that bad at all.
Perseverance builds character. How many of us have heard our dad's tell us, "it builds character!" I know I have... and I know that he was right. I would not be who I am today if it were not for my time in a back brace or any number of other things that have happened in my life.
And because we have character we also have hope. Hope in our God and His faithfulness. As the passage says, "And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." (v. 5)
This passage is almost like a cycle. We rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And we also rejoice in sufferings. Sufferings turn into perseverance. Perseverance turns into character. And character becomes hope. Hope. We rejoice in our sufferings because we have hope and we rejoice in it. Not only are you building character, you are a HopeBuilder.
When it seems like you're having a bad week, a bad month, even a bad year, remember to rejoice in the hope and the sufferings.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
WorrySlayer
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?"
~ Matthew 6:25
First of all, I am sorry it has taken me so long to get up a new blog! These past couple weeks have just been crazy hectic and I haven't had a lot of time to write. I've been worried about finances, laundry, grades, homework...and Greek.
It's funny, I had this verse written down a long time time ago but found one that I "liked" a little better that I really wanted to write on. I was flipping through my notebook and found this one, and it really hit me.
I am a chronic worrier. There is always something that I'm worried about. It is so easy to let the things of this world pile up around my feet.
Christ said, "do not worry about your life." That's a hard commandment to follow. And "do not worry about your body" wow, tough order.
Jesus specifically mentions what we will eat, drink, and wear. I've listened to my mom fuss over what we will eat and I've worried about what I will wear. I think it's normal and "perfectly" human to worry about these things.
The passage goes on to say that the Father provides food for the birds and they don't farm or work, they don't try to store things up for later. Jesus said in verse 26: "Are you not more valuable than they?" God will provide food for us to eat because He loves us.
After that He talks about the lilies of the field and how the Father has clothed the fields. He says that not even King Solomon had garments like the fields. If God will clothe the fields we need to be confident that He will also clothe us.
We do not need to worry because God will provide for us. We are inclined to worry, but we need to be WorrySlayers.
~ Matthew 6:25
First of all, I am sorry it has taken me so long to get up a new blog! These past couple weeks have just been crazy hectic and I haven't had a lot of time to write. I've been worried about finances, laundry, grades, homework...and Greek.
It's funny, I had this verse written down a long time time ago but found one that I "liked" a little better that I really wanted to write on. I was flipping through my notebook and found this one, and it really hit me.
I am a chronic worrier. There is always something that I'm worried about. It is so easy to let the things of this world pile up around my feet.
Christ said, "do not worry about your life." That's a hard commandment to follow. And "do not worry about your body" wow, tough order.
Jesus specifically mentions what we will eat, drink, and wear. I've listened to my mom fuss over what we will eat and I've worried about what I will wear. I think it's normal and "perfectly" human to worry about these things.
The passage goes on to say that the Father provides food for the birds and they don't farm or work, they don't try to store things up for later. Jesus said in verse 26: "Are you not more valuable than they?" God will provide food for us to eat because He loves us.
After that He talks about the lilies of the field and how the Father has clothed the fields. He says that not even King Solomon had garments like the fields. If God will clothe the fields we need to be confident that He will also clothe us.
We do not need to worry because God will provide for us. We are inclined to worry, but we need to be WorrySlayers.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
FragilePottery
"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed."
~ 2 Corinthians 4:7-9
This is a bit longer then the passages I normally choose, but it's so good! I was actually having a hard time picking a verse for this week, but my campus Bible study talked about this set of verses on Wednesday.
I don't know if you've worked with clay, but here's the deal, it's fragile. My parents used to have their own business where my dad would make whistles shaped like animals out of clay and my mom would paint them. I remember having to be careful when they were around. Before they go through the kiln and they're still wet they're easily smooshed back into a lump. After they're dry, before firing, they are crumbly. Finally, after they go through the intense heating process, they are so fragile. Sometimes pieces will explode in the kiln--when this happens it can seriously damage the other pieces. Things made out of clay can be easily broken.
Why would Paul choose to liken us to jars of clay? Doesn't he call us to be strong and stand firm in the faith? How can we stand firm in the faith if we are breakable?
He's proving a point that we are nothing without God. Nothing. Without God we are breakable and fragile. We are FragilePottery.
If you apply pressure to all sides of a jar of clay, it will succumb and crumble. But verse 8 says that we will be hard pressed on all sides and not be crushed. We won't be crushed because we have the power of Christ in our FragilePottery. He is our support system.
How often do you get confused? I don't know about you, but there are somedays that I am just confused all the time, my brain just doesn't click things together. We can be perplexed, but we are not in despair because we have the hope of Christ in us.
As Christians we face persecution, I think I've touched on this before. Paul knew what being persecuted was like. But we are not alone, we are not abandoned. Even when things seem to be at their darkest, we are not alone.
If you strike a pot down, it will break, but we are not destroyed.
How awesome is it that we have the best support system ever inside of us? We will go through trying times, but our FragilePottery will not be broken.
God Bless
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
BeautifulFeet
"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaimed peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, 'Your God reigns!'"
~ Isaiah 52:7
I would just like to start off by saying that I love the imagery in this passage. In my mind's eye I can see a man standing on the top of a mountain with his arms thrown out wide and his head tilted up high. He's yelling at the top of his lungs, "Your God reigns!" Isn't that just awesome? And by "awesome" I mean filled with awe, not "that's awesome, dude!"
Now, I have never gone mountain climbing, and I probably never will. (Unless I marry someone who's really outdoorsy and makes me.) It's not because I don't think it would be fun or invigorating. I just know it's a lot of work...and I'm not sure how I would handle the altitude. That being said, if I were to climb a mountain, I would make absolutely sure that I had the best pair of hiking boots available. I use my feet a lot (I'm sure you do, too), and they're more then kind of essential. I beat them up enough without the help of a mountain.
There are two big things that stick out to me in this verse. First, Isaiah mentions how beautiful the person's feet are. I instantly think of my roommate who isn't a "foot-phobe" per se...but she's pretty close. They just gross her out, and I think beautiful is the last word she would use to describe feet. I don't think many would. It's not the first word that comes to my mind.
Think about this; they didn't have hiking boots back when Isaiah was writing. Woah. They had sandals. Yeah. Now, imagine how dirty and cut up and person's feet would be after climbing a mountain in sandals. Why on earth would Isaiah be describing them as beautiful? Because they carried good news! They didn't let the mountain stop them from bringing good tidings of salvation.
This leads into the second thing that stands out to me: the person climbed the mountain just to proclaim that "your God reigns." This in itself is beautiful.
I feel like today you and I make excuses to not share out faith. We wait for opportunities to enter our comfort zone, and even then we don't take them. And few of us go to other nations and climb mountains or cross deserts or swim rivers to proclaim the name of God.
The Apostle Paul quotes this passage from Isaiah in Romans 10:15. Paul was traveling all over to spread the good news and I imagine his feet were...beautiful.
I hope that you will have BeautifulFeet someday. Begin your journey today.
~ Isaiah 52:7
I would just like to start off by saying that I love the imagery in this passage. In my mind's eye I can see a man standing on the top of a mountain with his arms thrown out wide and his head tilted up high. He's yelling at the top of his lungs, "Your God reigns!" Isn't that just awesome? And by "awesome" I mean filled with awe, not "that's awesome, dude!"
Now, I have never gone mountain climbing, and I probably never will. (Unless I marry someone who's really outdoorsy and makes me.) It's not because I don't think it would be fun or invigorating. I just know it's a lot of work...and I'm not sure how I would handle the altitude. That being said, if I were to climb a mountain, I would make absolutely sure that I had the best pair of hiking boots available. I use my feet a lot (I'm sure you do, too), and they're more then kind of essential. I beat them up enough without the help of a mountain.
There are two big things that stick out to me in this verse. First, Isaiah mentions how beautiful the person's feet are. I instantly think of my roommate who isn't a "foot-phobe" per se...but she's pretty close. They just gross her out, and I think beautiful is the last word she would use to describe feet. I don't think many would. It's not the first word that comes to my mind.
Think about this; they didn't have hiking boots back when Isaiah was writing. Woah. They had sandals. Yeah. Now, imagine how dirty and cut up and person's feet would be after climbing a mountain in sandals. Why on earth would Isaiah be describing them as beautiful? Because they carried good news! They didn't let the mountain stop them from bringing good tidings of salvation.
This leads into the second thing that stands out to me: the person climbed the mountain just to proclaim that "your God reigns." This in itself is beautiful.
I feel like today you and I make excuses to not share out faith. We wait for opportunities to enter our comfort zone, and even then we don't take them. And few of us go to other nations and climb mountains or cross deserts or swim rivers to proclaim the name of God.
The Apostle Paul quotes this passage from Isaiah in Romans 10:15. Paul was traveling all over to spread the good news and I imagine his feet were...beautiful.
I hope that you will have BeautifulFeet someday. Begin your journey today.
Monday, September 20, 2010
HeartLetter
"You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."
~ 2 Corinthians 3:2
So, I'm an English major...and I really appreciate a good metaphor, a lot. The idea of being a letter is so appealing to me, so beautiful.
I love getting letters in the mail--and not just because it means my opening my mailbox had purpose. No, I love getting letters because they are personal and intimate. When you get a letter from someone you get a tangible piece of their mind, their thoughts, their feelings. Letters are written evidence.
Written evidence. Paul says that we are letters. We are written evidence. Evidence of what? Of God's saving grace. God has written on our hearts the salvation story. We are testimonies of His love. How awesome is that?
As such, we should make sure that we are letters worth reading. We should be living lives that are confirmation of what God has done.
Paul says that we are read by everybody. How true! As we go through our days we should remember that others are watching us and seeing our example. It's sad, but people will judge us and say things like, "Well, that wasn't very Christian" when we screw up, and when we do something right they'll say, "Well, they're a little extreme." But we should be known for our love and not for being hypocrites.
So, you are a HeartLetter. Through you, God will do miraculous things. It's almost like a really long chain letter that has been going on for decades and centuries. Don't forget what you are, and what you are testimony of, HeartLetter.
~ 2 Corinthians 3:2
So, I'm an English major...and I really appreciate a good metaphor, a lot. The idea of being a letter is so appealing to me, so beautiful.
I love getting letters in the mail--and not just because it means my opening my mailbox had purpose. No, I love getting letters because they are personal and intimate. When you get a letter from someone you get a tangible piece of their mind, their thoughts, their feelings. Letters are written evidence.
Written evidence. Paul says that we are letters. We are written evidence. Evidence of what? Of God's saving grace. God has written on our hearts the salvation story. We are testimonies of His love. How awesome is that?
As such, we should make sure that we are letters worth reading. We should be living lives that are confirmation of what God has done.
Paul says that we are read by everybody. How true! As we go through our days we should remember that others are watching us and seeing our example. It's sad, but people will judge us and say things like, "Well, that wasn't very Christian" when we screw up, and when we do something right they'll say, "Well, they're a little extreme." But we should be known for our love and not for being hypocrites.
So, you are a HeartLetter. Through you, God will do miraculous things. It's almost like a really long chain letter that has been going on for decades and centuries. Don't forget what you are, and what you are testimony of, HeartLetter.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
ImpatienceAssassin
"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."
~ Psalm 27:14
Wow. I don't know about you, but I am a generally impatient person. I get really frustrated when things don't happen in my timing. So often I find myself trying to bend events to fit my plan--this rarely turns out well, but I do it anyway.
Have you ever heard someone say, "It's all in God's timing?" I have, and I'm sure you probably have too. It's a lot easier to say than it is to hear. It's very true, but it's become a cliché.
When I think about what the psalmist, David, had to go through in his life it makes my problems seem pretty inconsequential. He had to run for his life, King Saul did everything he could to have David killed. David knew that he was anointed to be King. He knew the Lord was with him. He knew that one day he would be king, and dying before that day was not in the plan. If it would have been me, I would have been saying, "Okay, Lord, I'm ready for this whole king thing to work out now." But David said to wait, be strong and take heart.
This verse was posted in a friends' hall, right next to their door. I've been in their room several times and never even noticed it. This week has been another hard one for me. While I've been worried about my classes, the big problem I've had is dealing with timing. I feel so ready to be out in the world working with America's youth. There are so many things in my life that I would just love to skip ahead to. It's not that I don't love my college experience, I'm just ready to start making a difference. When I saw this verse, it hit me. I need to wait. I need to be strong. I need to take heart. I need to wait on the Lord.
I urge you, when you feel like skipping ahead in your life, read this verse. Remember that the things happening to you now are building blocks to your character. Every step you take is taking you one step closer to the rest of your life. Be an ImpatienceAssassin. When you start to get impatient about timing, wait on the Lord.
~ Psalm 27:14
Wow. I don't know about you, but I am a generally impatient person. I get really frustrated when things don't happen in my timing. So often I find myself trying to bend events to fit my plan--this rarely turns out well, but I do it anyway.
Have you ever heard someone say, "It's all in God's timing?" I have, and I'm sure you probably have too. It's a lot easier to say than it is to hear. It's very true, but it's become a cliché.
When I think about what the psalmist, David, had to go through in his life it makes my problems seem pretty inconsequential. He had to run for his life, King Saul did everything he could to have David killed. David knew that he was anointed to be King. He knew the Lord was with him. He knew that one day he would be king, and dying before that day was not in the plan. If it would have been me, I would have been saying, "Okay, Lord, I'm ready for this whole king thing to work out now." But David said to wait, be strong and take heart.
This verse was posted in a friends' hall, right next to their door. I've been in their room several times and never even noticed it. This week has been another hard one for me. While I've been worried about my classes, the big problem I've had is dealing with timing. I feel so ready to be out in the world working with America's youth. There are so many things in my life that I would just love to skip ahead to. It's not that I don't love my college experience, I'm just ready to start making a difference. When I saw this verse, it hit me. I need to wait. I need to be strong. I need to take heart. I need to wait on the Lord.
I urge you, when you feel like skipping ahead in your life, read this verse. Remember that the things happening to you now are building blocks to your character. Every step you take is taking you one step closer to the rest of your life. Be an ImpatienceAssassin. When you start to get impatient about timing, wait on the Lord.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
HeartDefender
"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."
~ Proverbs 4:24
I should have this verse written all over my dorm room, all over my arms, all over my life. This is something I struggle with, and I think that most people probably do as well. It is so easy to get wrapped up in our lives and the people that play important roles in them.
The first application I think of is boys. Guard your heart against boys. (For you gentlemen readers, girls.) I am a hopeless romantic, always have been. As such, it is very easy for me to get my emotions and time wrapped up into one person. This poor heart has been through a lot because I am not very good at guarding it--or rather, in the past I wasn't, I'm working on it.
I realize that not everyone is a hopeless romantic. (Good for you!) There are other things to be on guard for. Sometimes non-romantic relationships can be just as dangerous. Anytime we put too much trust in one person, we are setting them up for failure and ourselves up for hurt. The only person we can fully rely on is God.
The verse directly following this one talks about keeping perversity and corrupt talk away from our lips. Perverse language is like a poison to the heart. If you listen to it for too long it will eventually make it to your heart. Your heart is your wellspring of life. In Luke 6:45 it says: "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." Defend your heart against evil, against sin. I am not saying hole yourself up in your room and never come out again. I am saying, be careful about how you perceive things. Do not become callous to certain issues.
What does it mean when it says your heart is the wellspring of life? Well, in the strictly biological sense, your heart is the muscle that make sure blood reaches all of your body to supply you with oxygen. I've read several books where blood is called "life force." I like fantasy books, and sometimes blood is almost seen as sacred, as life itself. You and I typically see blood as more the oil for the machine--it has a particular function. Of course, we know the danger in having too little blood but we would not call it sacred. We know it is essential to live, but we would not call it life itself. The heart is the driving force behind the blood. We also connect our hearts to emotions, feelings. Some would say that without feelings it wouldn't really be life. The heart is what gives you life. Without a heart you wouldn't be able to live. So, it stands to reason that you should guard it.
Whether you're protecting against anger, foul language, flattery or falling for someone, be a HeartDefender. It's hard, and you may not always be successful, but it is your mandate.
God Bless!
~ Proverbs 4:24
I should have this verse written all over my dorm room, all over my arms, all over my life. This is something I struggle with, and I think that most people probably do as well. It is so easy to get wrapped up in our lives and the people that play important roles in them.
The first application I think of is boys. Guard your heart against boys. (For you gentlemen readers, girls.) I am a hopeless romantic, always have been. As such, it is very easy for me to get my emotions and time wrapped up into one person. This poor heart has been through a lot because I am not very good at guarding it--or rather, in the past I wasn't, I'm working on it.
I realize that not everyone is a hopeless romantic. (Good for you!) There are other things to be on guard for. Sometimes non-romantic relationships can be just as dangerous. Anytime we put too much trust in one person, we are setting them up for failure and ourselves up for hurt. The only person we can fully rely on is God.
The verse directly following this one talks about keeping perversity and corrupt talk away from our lips. Perverse language is like a poison to the heart. If you listen to it for too long it will eventually make it to your heart. Your heart is your wellspring of life. In Luke 6:45 it says: "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." Defend your heart against evil, against sin. I am not saying hole yourself up in your room and never come out again. I am saying, be careful about how you perceive things. Do not become callous to certain issues.
What does it mean when it says your heart is the wellspring of life? Well, in the strictly biological sense, your heart is the muscle that make sure blood reaches all of your body to supply you with oxygen. I've read several books where blood is called "life force." I like fantasy books, and sometimes blood is almost seen as sacred, as life itself. You and I typically see blood as more the oil for the machine--it has a particular function. Of course, we know the danger in having too little blood but we would not call it sacred. We know it is essential to live, but we would not call it life itself. The heart is the driving force behind the blood. We also connect our hearts to emotions, feelings. Some would say that without feelings it wouldn't really be life. The heart is what gives you life. Without a heart you wouldn't be able to live. So, it stands to reason that you should guard it.
Whether you're protecting against anger, foul language, flattery or falling for someone, be a HeartDefender. It's hard, and you may not always be successful, but it is your mandate.
God Bless!
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