Sunday, February 27, 2011
Yea!!
This has been a great weekend :) Living with eyes open and focused, and there are blessings abundant!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Grace
It's not until after you've experienced the helpless state you're in, not until after you realize you don't have the power to do the right thing, that you realize the magnitude of grace. I never experienced the power of "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." until I experienced the helplessness of Romans 7. How does God still love me when I can't even stop doing the things I hate, and can't accomplish the things that are good? I was wracked with guilt all day and condemning myself, punishing myself for breaking boundaries and losing focus of the task God has entrusted me with. How can I lead girls when I'm broken? It's hard living in grace. I want to yell at myself and have someone scold me. But I don't have to punish myself...I shouldn't. Change yes. Just because there is grace I should not continue sinning so grace can continue to cover it. But punishing myself is just saying that Christ's death wasn't enough to pay for my sin, that I have to help pay as well.
Thank God for the people He places in my life! I was searching for a godly woman older in the faith, but too afraid to ask. He placed Meghan in my life. Never have I had to courage to share with a woman the pains and trails in my life. She accepted me with grace, showed mercy when the whole time I was waiting for her to condemn me. She gave me scripture to memorize in place of unrighteous thoughts, and used her spiritual gift of exhortation to pray over me.
I have every right to stand accused of wrong, but God does not accuse those who are in Him:
"But now He has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you as holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation" -Colossians 1:22
"For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship. And by him we cry "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. And if we are children, then we are heirs-heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." -Romans 8:15-17
Live in peace, your hope is secured.
Thank God for the people He places in my life! I was searching for a godly woman older in the faith, but too afraid to ask. He placed Meghan in my life. Never have I had to courage to share with a woman the pains and trails in my life. She accepted me with grace, showed mercy when the whole time I was waiting for her to condemn me. She gave me scripture to memorize in place of unrighteous thoughts, and used her spiritual gift of exhortation to pray over me.
I have every right to stand accused of wrong, but God does not accuse those who are in Him:
"But now He has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you as holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation" -Colossians 1:22
"For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship. And by him we cry "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. And if we are children, then we are heirs-heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." -Romans 8:15-17
Live in peace, your hope is secured.
Incapable
"I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do-this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." -Romans 7:15-8:2
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Breakthrough-Day 2 Part 1 (Will Not Return Empty)
Saturday morning I woke up at 7:30am. I couldn't make it to prayer meeting but instead went to breakfast with Sharon, Nancy, and Katheryn. It was really nice getting to meet people of other fellowships. Haha we ended up all staring at me because they figured out I was a half-ling and somehow couldn't get over the fact.
8:30 was quiet time. We went to our Track room to get the questions which were:
1. What does God promise for those who seek Him?
2.What areas of sin or dissatisfaction in your life do you need to surrender to God?
Our passage was Isaiah 55:1-13
I was struck immediately with how generous our God is. If you're thirsty and have nothing to offer, He'll offer you wine and milk without cost. Not just water but wine which is costly and milk which nourishes. If you are working in vain for bread that doesn't fill you then STOP. LISTEN to Him and eat what is good. Then "you will delight in the richest of fare." Listen, that you may live.
Verses 6-7 was what made me think for question 2.
"Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon."
So, when I saw seek the Lord while he may be found, I knew that the Lord is always there. Why would Isaiah say seek Him while he can be found? The Lord never leaves His people! But I remembered myself. That I tend to forget the Lord is with me, so "while He may be found" is more of a state of heart for the audience. Seek God while your heart is open to Him. When God is working on your heart is when He feels nearest. Sometimes it's easy to close yourself off to Him especially when He confronts you about your sin. So seek Him while he is seeking you and listen to Him while he is near. If the wicked turn and seek the Lord and give up their unclean thoughts God promises mercy and a free pardon. That is a sweet promise. So there on the hill I decided to listen and obey. I am broken and have unrighteous thoughts. Lustful thoughts are something I've dealt with all my life, but at the offer of freedom and mercy I made a commitment to give these things to the Lord. I definitely still struggle and mess up, but it's a slow process. I lean on lust, when I don't trust that God will be good to me. But reading through Isaiah has led me to believe He truly is the only one we can trust. Because He never stops pursuing never gives us less than His best. He is a just God and there are consequences for sin, but there is also mercy and forgiveness. Which is more than the world or anything I can conjure up can offer.
God's ways and thoughts are higher than ours. Why He decides to feed the poor, why He decides to recognize people who continually deny Him, why He even acknowledges us dust in comparison to His glory, why he steps down to hold us dirty broken close to His heart...it's beyond me.
The end of the passage goes on to describe how when the rain falls it does not return to the sky until it has accomplished it's purpose. So is God's word. "so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." The result of this is we will go out in JOY and be lead forth in PEACE. Hills and mountains will burst out in song, and trees will clap their hands. This, the fact that God's word does not return empty that "he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ" (Phil 1:6), that his word will bring joy, and peace all is a testament to His glory and faithfulness.
8:30 was quiet time. We went to our Track room to get the questions which were:
1. What does God promise for those who seek Him?
2.What areas of sin or dissatisfaction in your life do you need to surrender to God?
Our passage was Isaiah 55:1-13
I was struck immediately with how generous our God is. If you're thirsty and have nothing to offer, He'll offer you wine and milk without cost. Not just water but wine which is costly and milk which nourishes. If you are working in vain for bread that doesn't fill you then STOP. LISTEN to Him and eat what is good. Then "you will delight in the richest of fare." Listen, that you may live.
Verses 6-7 was what made me think for question 2.
"Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon."
So, when I saw seek the Lord while he may be found, I knew that the Lord is always there. Why would Isaiah say seek Him while he can be found? The Lord never leaves His people! But I remembered myself. That I tend to forget the Lord is with me, so "while He may be found" is more of a state of heart for the audience. Seek God while your heart is open to Him. When God is working on your heart is when He feels nearest. Sometimes it's easy to close yourself off to Him especially when He confronts you about your sin. So seek Him while he is seeking you and listen to Him while he is near. If the wicked turn and seek the Lord and give up their unclean thoughts God promises mercy and a free pardon. That is a sweet promise. So there on the hill I decided to listen and obey. I am broken and have unrighteous thoughts. Lustful thoughts are something I've dealt with all my life, but at the offer of freedom and mercy I made a commitment to give these things to the Lord. I definitely still struggle and mess up, but it's a slow process. I lean on lust, when I don't trust that God will be good to me. But reading through Isaiah has led me to believe He truly is the only one we can trust. Because He never stops pursuing never gives us less than His best. He is a just God and there are consequences for sin, but there is also mercy and forgiveness. Which is more than the world or anything I can conjure up can offer.
God's ways and thoughts are higher than ours. Why He decides to feed the poor, why He decides to recognize people who continually deny Him, why He even acknowledges us dust in comparison to His glory, why he steps down to hold us dirty broken close to His heart...it's beyond me.
The end of the passage goes on to describe how when the rain falls it does not return to the sky until it has accomplished it's purpose. So is God's word. "so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." The result of this is we will go out in JOY and be lead forth in PEACE. Hills and mountains will burst out in song, and trees will clap their hands. This, the fact that God's word does not return empty that "he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ" (Phil 1:6), that his word will bring joy, and peace all is a testament to His glory and faithfulness.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Breakthrough-Day 1 (Learning humility)
"If though shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, blessed shalt thou be in the city" -Deuteronomy 28:2,3
This was the promise God gave me Friday when I was doing my quiet time. If I should keep my ears open and listen to his voice and obey then there would be blessing.
Friday
I got to Breakthrough, which is a retreat with Intervarsity Christian fellowship. I was signed up for the Word II track (studying the book of Isaiah) hoping to learn more about WHO my God is and more of His character. First thing after worshiping in Spanish we started into studying Isaiah 40:6-24.Now reading Isaiah is slightly confusing yet very beautiful because it's like poetry. Some things are symbolic while others could be literal. So when the groups of us went to interpret the scripture we were told to let the clear verses clarify the foggy ones, to let the context of the passage clarify a verse (don't take stuff out of context!), and that scripture cannot mean what it couldn't mean (there should not be contradiction with what was previously said).
I was instantly struck with how Holy our God is and how tiny we are in comparison in Isaiah 40. The people are described "like grass" which withers and our faithfulness "like the flowers" which fall. But Isaiah doesn't stop there he goes from saying you're like grass to "Surely the people are grass." The nations are called a drop in a bucket compared to God. The nations are regarded as "dust on the scales" then he goes on to say you aren't just dust you're "fine dust". Our smallness was hammered in more when he says the "nations are nothing, they are regarded as worthless and less than nothing."
In comparison God is called Sovereign and powerful! He is considered a King in His power and how He rules. You cannot compare him to anything, He is immeasurable. The idols we create do nothing, and leave us searching for something that won't topple and disappoint us. Isaiah asks those who search for something to put their hope in if they have not heard about our God. "Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded?" (Geez Isaiah) Trust God not our tiny idols, for God is Holy and powerful. Example creation: "He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and it's people like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in." He creates the stars in the sky and gives us small creatures a beautiful place to live :)
Though Isaiah shows the Holiness and greatness of our God and the smallness of us, he gives us one hope. That though we are regarded as less than nothing God treasures us. It says in verses 10-12 that he "tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young." Even in verse 15 Isaiah asks "Who held the dust of the earth in a basket" and the nations were compared to dust. Even though He has every right to look over Israel (who is at this time worshiping other gods and constantly unfaithful to God), He chooses to hold them close to his heart.
How much more so will He hold us? Or me, who constantly forgets the God I serve and am captured by the idols of self pride, grades, and approval from others.
This was the promise God gave me Friday when I was doing my quiet time. If I should keep my ears open and listen to his voice and obey then there would be blessing.
Friday
I got to Breakthrough, which is a retreat with Intervarsity Christian fellowship. I was signed up for the Word II track (studying the book of Isaiah) hoping to learn more about WHO my God is and more of His character. First thing after worshiping in Spanish we started into studying Isaiah 40:6-24.Now reading Isaiah is slightly confusing yet very beautiful because it's like poetry. Some things are symbolic while others could be literal. So when the groups of us went to interpret the scripture we were told to let the clear verses clarify the foggy ones, to let the context of the passage clarify a verse (don't take stuff out of context!), and that scripture cannot mean what it couldn't mean (there should not be contradiction with what was previously said).
I was instantly struck with how Holy our God is and how tiny we are in comparison in Isaiah 40. The people are described "like grass" which withers and our faithfulness "like the flowers" which fall. But Isaiah doesn't stop there he goes from saying you're like grass to "Surely the people are grass." The nations are called a drop in a bucket compared to God. The nations are regarded as "dust on the scales" then he goes on to say you aren't just dust you're "fine dust". Our smallness was hammered in more when he says the "nations are nothing, they are regarded as worthless and less than nothing."
In comparison God is called Sovereign and powerful! He is considered a King in His power and how He rules. You cannot compare him to anything, He is immeasurable. The idols we create do nothing, and leave us searching for something that won't topple and disappoint us. Isaiah asks those who search for something to put their hope in if they have not heard about our God. "Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded?" (Geez Isaiah) Trust God not our tiny idols, for God is Holy and powerful. Example creation: "He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and it's people like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in." He creates the stars in the sky and gives us small creatures a beautiful place to live :)
Though Isaiah shows the Holiness and greatness of our God and the smallness of us, he gives us one hope. That though we are regarded as less than nothing God treasures us. It says in verses 10-12 that he "tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young." Even in verse 15 Isaiah asks "Who held the dust of the earth in a basket" and the nations were compared to dust. Even though He has every right to look over Israel (who is at this time worshiping other gods and constantly unfaithful to God), He chooses to hold them close to his heart.
How much more so will He hold us? Or me, who constantly forgets the God I serve and am captured by the idols of self pride, grades, and approval from others.
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