Flipping open the book

Sometimes I just open my Bible and see where I want to go...which probably isn't the best way to read the Book, but I find some great stuff that way, so I'll keep it up on occasion just because.  Last night before I went to sleep, I opened to John 14, mainly because it's the chapter that includes one of those verses everyone knows (14:6 "And Jesus said, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me'.")  I figured there had to be more to the chapter than that verse though, so I decided to read around it.  

Chapter 14 opens with "Don't let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God, and trust also in me."  I really love that, because it is so often my heart that leads what I do, and my brain seems to kind of get left behind.  Here God clearly states though that, if we trust in Him and Christ, then we have no reason for our hearts to be disturbed or discomforted or worried or agitated (all definitions of troubled).  At the end of the chapter, Jesus reiterates that He has given us the gift of peace of mind and of the heart.  His love is so great for us that, as the time of His death comes near, He is comforting His disciples because He senses their worry about what will happen when He leaves.  

Also, Jesus makes it very clear here that He is part of the Father, and the Father dwells in Him, which reiterates the point that we need to be close to Jesus to be close to God.  Also, if we are acting in accordance with His will, then nothing is impossible, because we have the support of the Son and the Father...which is quite a bit of collateral on any limb we may decide to step out on.  

In verses 23-24 Jesus equates love with obedience...which is definitely something that I struggle with.  I don't always see why I have to do certain things in accordance with God's commandments, when the sinful way just seems, well, easier.  I know that He gives us laws to abide by because in Him we find freedom, and His commandments are designed to protect us and keep us from doing evil.  Sometimes I think it would be simpler to just go with the flow, and not stand for what Christ is and His commandments for us, and I'll definitely admit that I often fail to do so.  However, it is when I go my own way or choose to disregard what I know is God's way that I end up in the biggest messes with hurt feelings and a bruised ego.  If I acknowledge that it is only through God and with His help that I accomplish or gain anything in this life, then for some reason (shocker!), I seem to get things right a lot more.  

...Chapter 15 tomorrow night.  Gnite :)

And God said "Go marry a prostitute"

The book of Hosea is great.  Seriously, though, in verse two God tells Hosea that he is going to use him as an illustration of Israel's unfaithfulness, so he needs to go marry a prostitute...How Hosea must have felt when he received this command from God, I cannot even imagine.  The story continues, as Hosea's wife (Gomer...oh these names lol) has two children with Hosea, but then is unfaithful to him and bears a second son illegitimately.  Kind of like how we eventually turn away from God, even after He rescued us from a life of sin and shame.  Then verse seven reiterates the point that it is through no effort of our own that we will be freed from our enemies/sin.  

Another point that comes up in the first chapters is that we will never find true satisfaction in earthly things, even those that we or our society attribute the most value to.  "She doesn't realize it as I who gave her everything she has - the grain, the new wine, the olive oil; I even gave her silver and gold.  But she gave all my gifts to Baal."  - Hosea 2:8  God gives us so much, every breath that we take, every chance encounter that brightens our days, every incident that tests our faith so that we grow closer to God and our loved ones...and yet, we don't give God the glory for all that He has done for us.  How hurtful that must be for Him.  He lavishes his love and forgiveness and compassion on us, even as we rebel against His wisdom and sacrifice and attempt to make our own way in the world.  I know that it is so painful to pour all your love and effort into something and have it simply turn away, or even just not be all that you expect, and yet we do it to God every day.  

The passage in chapter two has God punishing Israel/Hosea punishing Gomer by taking away all the glorious gifts she has been given and "strip her naked in public" (verse 10), exposing her shame.  However, starting at verse 14, the Lord decides to forgive Israel and free her.  As Hosea says, "I will win her back once again, I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her there." (v 14) and (my personal fav) "I will make you my wife forever, showing you righteousness and justice, unfailing love and compassion." (v 19).  So Hosea takes his wife back, to show that God still loves Israel and will restore His love for her.  The verses in the end of chapter two are such a beautiful song though, and were legitimately the first time I ever really thought of the Bible as God's love poem to us.  I mean, Song of Songs is definitely a love story, but when we went through it in church last spring, I definitely was focusing more on how it governed relationships between man and woman, not seeing that how men and women relate to each other are like how Jesus and the church are.  Also, the idea of submission to another's will, willingly and even joyfully, is still new to me.  I definitely grew up with the mentality that I was going to make it in life, all on my own, and whoever tried to hold me down or tell me what to do was obviously trying to inhibit or limit me in some way.  I've come to realize in a very recent growing pain (a good one) that we are given free will, but that God sets out guidelines so that we don't have to suffer pain...similar to the rule your mom has about not touching the hot stove.  He gives us commandments to abide by because He loves us so much.  

Also, the position I've come to embrace regarding women and men relating is totally different than the one I believed probably two years ago...but I've got nursery duty at church very, very early in the morning, so I'll save that for another day.

Be thankful for the blessings you have.  And if you can't think of any, count each breath that you take in today, and tally them all as individual blessings.  Aren't you such a blessed person???

All in Christ

First off...Chris Tomlin is so cool.  His songs always make me smile. 

Second, thank goodness it's finally warm and sunny and gorgeous outside :)  Even though the pollen is stillll killing me.  I haven't been able to breathe or speak clearly for about, oh, three weeks now, but hey, it's sunny and I don't care!

Okay, so Ephesians 1 is the text of the moment.  "Even before He made the world, God loved us"  So cool.  God knew us and loved us before He even created us.  He also knew that we would come to disappoint Him and hurt Him by turning away from His love and grace and mercy, but He decided we were worth it anyways.  Not because of anything we've done or will do, but because He is great and loving and kind.

Also, something that I picked out of this passage, and maybe because I was looking for it, was that the defining moment in our relationship with God was the point where we place our faith and hope in Christ Jesus.  Seven times (by my account) in this chapter, Paul says that the great things that God has in store for us, and the reason He has chosen us is "because we are united with Christ" or we "trust in Christ" or because of our "strong faith in the Lord Jesus."  There are a lot of people, including some Christians, that seem to think that just believing in God and being a good and loving person classify you as saved.  I firmly believe however that it is faith in Christ as our Savior and the Son of God that saves us from our sins and the punishment we deserve...and I think this passage supports that.  God sent His Son as a sacrifice, and we fail to acknowledge that fully, which I feel is kind of a disappointment to God.  I mean, here He is, sending His only Son, who is pure and holy, to die and pay for our selfish and evil sins, and we treat it as if it's nothing.  

Chapter 2

We were dead because we lived in sin, and now we are alive.  I've never been dead, haven't even come close yet, but I feel like this is a definite moment to rejoice :)  Paul is careful to remind those at Ephesus in this chapter that it is by God's mercy and love that they are saved though, and only through Him will they ever escape death.  Paul reiterates his point a few times actually, and the NLT version says specifically "God saved you by His grace when you believed.  You can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God.  Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it" - Ephesians 2:8-9.  That is an important message to remember, as I know that I sometimes fall victim to thinking that I am better than non-believers because I'm saved...but I didn't do anything to deserve the salvation I'm given, and instead of holding it out as a merit badge, what I need to be doing is making my life a song of worship to Him who gave me the freedom from my sins.  

Okay, time to go grab a snack and head home for the afternoon...I might run outside later if I can muster the breath to do it...Or maybe I'll just walk around and bask in the light.  There's a cool festival happening on campus later too, so lots of fun stuff to do today.  Awesome!

Books to read

Because this is what I do in the middle of the night when I get my second wind, I'm making a list of books in the Bible that people are recommending that I read...which is good, because I'm totally deficient in my knowledge of the complete text.  And seeing how it's kind of God's rulebook for our lives, I need to get on the ball.  

Ecclesiastes (still re-reading it)

Ephesians

Malachi (apparently it's about God's love for us is meant to be a close friendship, where He is an active loving father-figure, as opposed to the distant judge we often view Him as)

1 and 2 Colossians

Micah (I've read some verses/passages out of here...like Micah 6:8...The Lord has told you what is good.  He has told you what he wants from you.  Do what is right to others.  Love being kind to others and live humbly, trusting your God...total fav verse there)

Joel

...and I'll add more obviously

Also, two passages that are catching my eye as I'm sifting through Ecclesiastes again tonight are the "Time for Everything" spill (Eccl. 3:1-11), you know, the one about there being a time for everything, and how "God has made everything beautiful for its own time."  Which is so true.  Though we are often the blind men surrounding the elephant (Oh, Christian analogies hahah), we have to realize that there is an elephant, and God can see him.  His purpose for us is great, and as Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you.  Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  

Sidenote: my favorite part about that verse, which is one of those standby verses I turn to when I'm freaking out about life, is that God says He has plans to prosper us.  It's not up to us, and it never was.  His plan will always trump ours, it will always be better, and it is because of His creation and love that we will grow and be safe from harm.  We have hope in Him, and eternity because of Christ's sacrifice.  What greater future can you imagine than eternity in heaven, with the God of the universe and the angels singing and just, one big party for God?

Also, please excuse my ADD...I know this was a completely incoherent post, and I'll definitely try and work on that in the future.  For now, bedtime.  And then a Spanish composition in the morning.  Yay hahah!

You can't take it with you when you go...

So I went into breakdown mode last night when I started thinking about just how great God is, and how blessed we are to have been created and given the gift of life, and the daily blessings that are so often taken for granted.  The Lord is so great, and we are so small and insignificant, and it really just overwhelms me to think about how little I am in the grand scheme of things.  However, God created each and every one of us (according to a statistic I saw the other day, over 125 billion humans have inhabited the earth so far) and every eyelash and freckle and birthmark are His design.  

That's love.  He loved us before we were born, before we stepped away from Him in sin, and after we rebelled against His love, He still stood by us and offered us entrance into heaven.  The only thing we have to do is have faith in Him and His Word.  Live life according to the principles that Jesus set out for us, the example that He was when He walked the earth.  

I'm still trying to find a good way to actually read the Bible, because one of the things I need to work on within the context of my faith walk is my knowledge of the Word.  However, I was reading the Message last night at a friend's house and ended up reading Ecclesiastes 5-12.  I really like the way the Message words things sometimes, because it makes reading the Bible almost like reading a more modern story (even though the Bible is applicable and relevant today, the language alteration helps my understanding).  

This was probably my favorite verse though, because it spoke to my anxiety about not being enough of a Christian to satisfy God's expectations for us... "Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good.  It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life.  And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it.  To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life, this is indeed a gift from God.  God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past."  - Eccl. 5:18-20

Granted, this verse could definitely be taken to the extreme and made out to be God giving us permission to just revel in our ways and indulge our pleasures uncontrollably.  However, as you read farther into the book, it seems to be referring more to the fact that we are blessed, and God does give us gifts so that we might enjoy them.  We do however need to remember, as mentioned, that ours on earth is a short blip in time, and that we will have to answer for our choices in eternity.  

So be thankful for the blessings that God gives you, and enjoy each moment that you have, acting in accordance with God's will for us and the world.  We are all given our place for a reason, though it is often beyond our comprehension, He has a plan.

The Day of Reckoning?

I'm sitting in the UL thinking...about what to do with my life, and why I feel like I'm wasting precious moments.  God gave us all the gift of life, and the gift of eternal life and freedom from the punishment for our sins.  And yet, instead of spending every waking moment praising Him and loving Him, we sit and we facebook or we watch television or just, waste the time He's given us.  And it's starting to bother me that I do this.  I want to know Him, and I want to serve Him, and I just can't figure out how.  Where do I begin?  I know that nothing I do will ever be sufficient, because I am only human, and I will falter in my resolve and I will be selfish with my time and my money and my gifts.  And also, because He is God.  

But that doesn't mean I can't try.  

My plan is to start with one action a day.  I'm going to do one thing a day that is solely for His glory, that is just about serving Him.  By serving others, and displaying His love through those actions, we are serving Him and His purpose.  

"Then he said to them, 'Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.  For he who is least among you all - he is the greatest'."  - Luke 9:48