What Gets me Through the Day

The Lord is faithful.
Despite our failures, despite our flaws, He is good, and He dwells within us.

That's what gets me through the day.
Me? I don't get myself through anything. Ever.-- What gets me through is the fact that I belong to an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving God.
The gospel. How easily, as Christians, we forget it. How much we take it for granted.
I was recently reminded of the beauty of the gospel while meeting with my "Big 4" for next year, and when I was reminded, I was convicted.
Details, details, details.
Important details, but often ones that mask the greater issue when not handled with care.
What greater issue? The gospel.
What gospel?

Jesus Christ. My undeserving self. His love and forgiveness. My failure.
I am in need. He is in abundance.
In need of love, and He is love & lavishes it freely.
In need of joy, and He is the source of joy.
In need of identity, and He tells me I am His.
In need of hope, and HE declares my future.
In need of saving, and HE redeems me. 
He is Everything.
The CREATOR, sacrificing for the creation?
Love. 

THE GOSPEL.

That's what get's me through the day.
The Lord is faithful.

The Love Root

Love.

So misconstrued and misused. Romance has a place in love, but it is the shallowest form.

LOVE.
The surface has yet to be touched for the majority of mankind.

Love between parent and child.
Love between spouses.
Love between family.
Love between friends.
Love for a stranger.
All glimpses of The LOVE from which it all stems.
All we see are the tips of the branches when the roots extend deep within the ground, leaving the most essential and foundational part unseen. If only the "Love Root" were understood, the "love surface" would be more easily tapped into, its accessibility utilized and relayed.

"God does not love us because He created us; He created us because He loves us."

This quote was shared with me once, and it has always intrigued me.
God does not love us because He created us. He created us because He loves us.

A love that initiated life.

Because of the "Love Root," we are existent.
We are given:
breath, life, movement, depth, thought, soul, emotion, pleasure, care, appreciation, beauty

Such things stem from Love.

How can one even attain such a love for others?
Can we truly even enjoy this life without it?

God Almighty, Alpha and Omega, the initiator of all things, including LOVE, is the demonstrator of such love. He is LOVE.

1 John 4:8
"He who does not love does not know God, for God is love."

Romans 5:7-8
"For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

 While we were yet sinners.

In our worst, God loves, and He has given us LIFE. It did not stop at the "emotion of love," but continued into the "action of love." While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Death. The ultimate sacrifice. The ultimate expression of love.

1 John 4:19
"We love, because He first loved us."

Love does not come from us; it comes from Jesus Christ's initiation.
Any love we know, any love we give is a mirror image of the love we've received.

LOVE. The depths are unfathomable.
If we understood the length of God's love, we would cease to attempt to love others or love God with the shallow love of humanity but would instead dispose of such loves in exchange for TRUE LOVE: God's LOVE.

If we loved with the love of Jesus Christ, imagine the power.
Imagine the roots that would be reached. Imagine the hearts that would be touched.

LOVE. God's love covers a multitude of sins.
It forgives. It cares.
It is the Love Root. The initiator for meaningful branches.
The key to removal of fear (1 John 4:18).
 
If only we knew the depths of such LOVE.

This is How Love Wins

Easter is and always will be the most powerful holiday for me. I'm not sure exactly what to say about the incredible sacrifice and victory of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ because I know I will never give it justice....

Isaiah 53:3-6

3 "He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

⁴ Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
⁵ But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all."

The illustration of true love. The example of complete beauty. The epitome of sacrifice.
             Jesus Christ.
No matter who you are, no matter what you've done, Jesus Christ conquers. Jesus Christ WINS.
Jesus Christ gives life. Do we deserve it? No. We deserve hell. But that's the beauty of it- a gift.
So will you receive it?

You know the truth.
"How could He, why would He, ever save me from my sins?"
Because He LOVES you.


True LOVE. The love of undeserving sacrifice. His flesh broke for YOU. His blood flowed for YOU.
"I can't give up these sins." On the cross, Jesus Christ broke the chains of sin and released you from the BONDAGE. There is freedom. There is hope. There is life.

He has conquered death. He has conquered the cross.
He has conquered SIN.
He has CONQUERED. Victory. He is ALIVE.
He came to bring life, and He BROUGHT IT.

And this is Easter.

Why the Bible Never Gets Old

So many times have I heard those who've grown up in Christian homes, or even those who haven't, say "I already know this story in the Bible," or, "I've read this before.. why should I have to read this all over again?"
I've grown up in a Christian home and have had these exact same thoughts flash through my mind in my lifetime.. especially in the junior high and early high school years.

Well here's the thing:
God's Word isn't about the stories; it's about every Word.

I realized something recently in my life.. when I re-read books like Pride and Prejudice, it's not because I don't know how it's going to end. It's not because I forget what happens in the story. On the contrary, I can tell you that story backwards and forwards. I re-read that book because I wish to inhale the wording, soaking in every description and dreaming of every image.

Oh how we take for granted the gift of having the Bible in our hands, readily available and filled with beautiful descriptions of God's eternal love for us and our security in Him. "I know these stories. I get the concepts." How easy it is to fall into this mentality, forgetting the everlasting truths within it.

Each book, each chapter, each verse seems to have new beauty every time I read it. 
Within God's Word lies countless examples of God's faithfulness in other believers lives, giving us the capability to glimpse into their hearts and the opportunity to learn from each individual's unique relationship with God.
Within God's Word lies numerous truths, paving the way for our every day lives and teaching us how to daily overcome the struggles of this world ultimately for God's glory.
Within God's Word lies the most real and passionate love story ever told- God's love for mankind. A love that mankind did not deserve.

I legitimately get chills thinking about it.
I love Pride and Prejudice just as much as the next hopeless romantic, but no book has as much passion, truth, meaning, hope, and LIFE as the Word of God.
Well, that, and the Bible is inspired by God.. and well, Pride and Prejudice is.. not.

The Word is ALIVE. It's new every time I read it. It's fresh. It holds LIFE.

"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."
Hebrews 4:12

Peace in the Sunrise

This morning, between 3 and 4am, I woke up to an intense feeling of fear. I wrote about it in my journal around 4am or so, so I will just copy to you what I wrote this morning, for there is no other way to describe the incredible two hours I have just had, except for exactly how I wrote about it as it happened.

"It's almost 4am and I've woken up due to overheating and nightmares. My dreams consisted of something like this: I was a mom with two children, living out of a suitcase, hiding from my husband, running from hotel to hotel. Every weekend he tries to come for them. The part I particularly remember is that I was putting away silverware and glass bowls in a china cabinet, fearing whatever was to happen that night, thinking about my brother's wife who was mentally unstable and I feared would come for me.

At this point, I had an almost overwhelming fear which woke me up to where I am now. I'm not saying my dream means anything, because it's no doubt that it is just the suppression of inner sinful fear and lack of trusting in God, because fear is not of God.

When I woke up, I was clutching the bedsheets and sweating, not bullets, but significantly. I looked up to see the time and as I reached for the lamp, I overpoweringly thought to myself, "So it's at night that I say God must speak to me in His word (but yet I haven't been reading), so then it's at night you will. You have some catching up to do." I switch tenses because I really feel that God wanted me to open His word for a reason.

As I opened my Bible, I felt that I should read in Isaiah where I left off a while ago. I read this verse:
Isaiah 35:4

"Say to those who are fearful-hearted, 'Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with a vengeance, with the recompense of God He will come and save you."

This verse, though probably taken out of direct context, gave me an incredible peace as I read it. In my life lies all these physical and spiritual, present and future fears: fears of the future, fears of spiritual warfare, fears of persecution, and fears of insecurity. I have come to realize that these fears MUST be dealt with and removed, because there is "NO fear in love."
1 John 4:17-19

"Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment, but he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us."

This is not to say that I have been visited by God, because God is always with me. This is to say that apparently within me lie these unknown fears which need to be addressed, because while in fear, my love in Christ is not shining to its full effect.
My current and most recent fears are those which deal with the camp that I'm going to in two days.
My fears consist of: not knowing the right words to say to the kids, not being fully equipped, and being alone and helpless. That's what it really boils down to.

1. The first fear: shows my lack of trust in God to GIVE me the words to speak, because they shouldn't be my words anyway.
2. The second: shows me my need to trust God to equip me. Christ promises never to leave us to fight any battles on our own, but rather He will be our guide, deliverer, friend, fortress, strength, help in time of trouble, and protector (as told by the Psalms).
3. The third: shows my need to LET GO of self-identity and firmly grasp onto my identity in Christ.

I am never "not part of something" in God's family. I am never helpless with God on my side. I am never alone in any battle that may come along, for God is GOOD. God does not break promises, nor does He lie. There is absolutely no reason to fear evil, because God is with me ALWAYS- whether I be home, at school, at camp, or on a mission field in the Middle East. I have no idea how God will use me in my life or what difficulties I may go through, but I know one thing:
No matter where I am, God is with me.
No matter what I may fear, God is BIGGEST.
God is HOLIEST.
God is MOST POWERFUL.
God is GOOD.
God protects His children and leaves them not alone.

In the spiritual realm, I have no idea what is currently taking place other than battle. I'm not the one to give specifics, but there is no doubt that God shows us in His Word of the constant fight between good and evil. I am thankful and at peace knowing that we know the ending to this story, and OUR GOD DOESN'T LOSE. Our God, who created all, knows all, and is in control of all, DOES NOT and CANNOT LOSE.

I find an incredible, unexplainable peace in this, knowing that there is nothing to fear, because my God will "come with a vengeance" to "come and save" ME. I love that God is not vague and distant, but PERSONAL. The pain people must be in, not in relationship with my personal, loving, all-powerful, holy God, but rather simply in relationship with themselves and themselves alone.

I am going to finish the chapter in Isaiah now....
....I have just finished Isaiah 35 and moved on to Psalm 37 which has awakened many truths to me.
I can tell you right now that there are no coincidences with God. Verses 7 and 8 pretty much sum up verses 1 through 8.
Psalm 37:7-8

"Rest in the Lord, wait patiently for Him. Cease from anger. Forsake wrath. Do not fret- it only causes harm."

There is really no other way to put this. No addition of words will express of these words as I go through life, seemingly going through unknown territory. To me, it may be unknown, but to God, nothing is unknown, and the LORD is with me.

I think I'm going to watch the sunrise.
Psalm 37:5-6

"Commit your way to the LORD, Trust in Him. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light."

I awoke in a state of fear in the darkness of the night, and left in a state of peace, love, and hope in Christ as I watched the sun  rise in the midst of the dawn. God is beauty in all its essence, and to describe it is impossible, yet it is utter worship to try. Worship is attempting to express God's beauty and perfection while knowing we will never reach understanding of any of it.

Tonight, I saw God working through His Word in a way I never have seen before. As I unintentionally jumped from Isaiah to 1 John to Psalms, and all these passages "somehow" related to fit perfectly together, I realized that this is of God and God alone.

Oh Check It Out! It's May 22nd!

Well, since everyone is losing their mind over this May 21st Judgment Day shenanigan, I couldn't help myself but to give my two cents.

First off, I think it's quite embarrassing how ignorant this Camping man makes Christian's look. Sorry buddy, but real Christians know their Bible a little better than that.

Mark 13: 32-37 
³² But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³ Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. ³⁴ It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. ³⁵ Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning— ³⁶ lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. ³⁷ And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!

Wait? What's that the Bible says? We won't know the day nor the time? Hmm.. Mr. Camping, looks like you forgot to read that section of the Bible when you took the Bible out of context and assumed the rest through speculation and vivid imagination.

One thing that really struck me as I was contemplating this whole "Judgement Day" trash being falsely prophesied by this random man was the uproar it has caused in society. People hear "judgement" and "apocalypse" and suddenly go ballistic. Why is it that when people have a certain date they are given they believe it, freak out, and are willing to give up everything for it, but when they are told that Christ is coming back sometime that we don't know when, they give a deaf ear and continue with their lives? Yesterday I got my hair cut and when the woman cutting my hair heard that I was a Christian, she asked me what I thought about the whole "Judgement Day" scares. I told her exactly what I just wrote: it's bogus. She told me that she had been reading information on it online and it was "sort of freaking her out." Even this random woman had been obviously contemplating the thought of Christ coming back, and the thought of Him coming tomorrow scared her. We are suddenly stirred when we think its tomorrow, but what we don't remember is that it could be tomorrow. I do not by any means believe that this man's ridiculous false prophecy will come true tomorrow, but rather am stating that Christ could return any day. Today, as I was thinking of all these current issues, I realized that most of the time I am not living my life like it's my last time. How much time do I spend worrying about the future instead of focusing on living for God right now? How motivated am I to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ and share the truth with those who don't know it? Am I living my life like today could be my last? Am I living my life to the fullest, keeping in mind that Christ could come back any day?
Don't get me wrong- this does not mean to live in fear, constantly speculating when Christ may be coming back. On the contrary, this should simply motivate us to fully live our lives to their God-given potentials. I know that time is often something I take for granted. I assume that I will always have tomorrow or that I can tell this person about Christ when "they ask." What if they never ask and we never tell them?

And to those who have not accepted Christ:
How quick are you to jump on the "judgement day" band wagon, but at the same time are completely unwilling to accept that Jesus Christ is Lord? Do not be deceived by these people who claim they can tell when Christ is coming back, because that's the thing- we don't know and won't know until He actually comes. Thankfully, we do not need to live in this helpless fear, dreading the day when Jesus Christ comes back to this earth. He has given us a hope from our sinful state and has opened a door for our lost souls. Jesus Christ has made a way to live a life of peace and assurance through His sacrifice on the cross and resurrection from the dead.

Acts 16:30-31
³⁰ And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
³¹ So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” ³² Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. ³³ And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. ³⁴ Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.

That's sort of a brief little summary of the truth, but if any of you reading this would like to discuss this more or have any questions, you can comment this blog up ;].

Those are just a few thoughts I had today regarding this "end of the world" business.
God Bless!

P.S. This was written on May 20th, 2011, but I'm posting it on May 22nd, 2011.. teehee.

"For the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you."

God never ceases to amaze me. God may not speak in an audible voice, but He most definitely speaks through His Word.
So, while I was slowly becoming more comfortable with the idea of going to camp and feeling more and more at peace about it, I still had some doubts in my mind. My mind still struggled with the fact that I was going to be with a staff that I don't know at all. What if I don't feel comfortable with the staff and make close friends? What if I get really homesick? What if I feel really alone?

Well, last night I was reading through a book called "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World" (which is great so far). One passage that was mentioned in the book was Deuteronomy 31:6.

"Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you."

Once I read this verse I felt a rest and a peace that is difficult for me to explain. With all the uncertainties of being away and of being thrown completely out of my comfort zone, the main thing I was forgetting is who exactly I have as my God. I do not have a God who will show me what He wants me to do and then throw me out on my own to get through it myself. I have a faithful, loving God who will bring exactly what I need into my life, whether it be difficult or not. I can be strong and courageous and not be afraid of whatever it is that God is putting in my life. The LORD is my God. I have a heavenly Father who is God, loves me personally, and knows what is best for my life. Wherever I go in the world, whether to a camp out in the middle of nowhere, to college, or even at home, God goes with me. I have Him in my life and He is there to stay. I can be assured that He will never leave me. He will never forsake me. I am His, and He is mine. If that's not true love, I don't know what is.

Thank you, God, for reassuring me of Your love, Your faithfulness, and Your presence. You are God, and where You lead, I will follow. Here am I, Lord, send me.

Responding to Conviction and Dealing with Fear

In my personal Bible reading, I've been going through the gospel of Matthew, which is enriched with detail about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I actually started reading Matthew this semester because my Bible professor told us we were to read it for the class, so I began to read it on my own. He never followed up on our reading (I now think it was just recommended, but not required), but I decided to stay in it anyway, since I hadn't read Matthew recently. I've come to the conclusion that I have really taken the gospels for granted. Just think about it- we are given four whole books focused entirely on the ministry and Words of Christ. So incredible.
So, as I've gone deeper and farther into the book of Matthew, I was caught a little off guard by Christ's boldness in speaking parables to the Pharisees and chief priests that were obviously revealing to them His recognition of and disdain for their sin. One thing that really stuck out to me in Matthew 21 was the Pharisees awareness to Jesus reference to them. Instead of responding to the criticism of the God of the creation with repentance, they seek to kill him. When I read this, all I could think was "Are you serious? Are they really that blind and ignorant?" Then it got me thinking.
How do I respond when I'm confronted about sin? Do I immediately put up my defenses, shut my ears, and yell over the conviction while pretending I'm not hearing it?

On a completely different note, this whole summer camp thing has gotten me scared silly. Last night every panicky thought that could possibly come to mind did and I was left asking every single "what if" question possible. Being away from home for another two months, not knowing what to expect, being responsible for 8-10 girls a week, making friends with the staff, being in the wilderness of camp life. All of it. I found myself struggling with the question, "What if I can't do it? What if I'm not ready?" Thankfully, God knows what we need when we need it. One of my friends, Andrew, posted an interesting blog today that really told me what I needed to hear.

"We can’t just ask God to use us and tell Him that we’re ready to serve, and then go about our daily lives and forget about it. Don’t get me wrong, God can and will use us in His master plan when and how He chooses, but He also doesn’t force us to do things (freewill). We can’t earn our salvation or anything else by works or service, but we also can’t just sit around saying, “ok God, I’ll just be over here doing my own thing, let me know if you need me.” We have to allow our changed heart and mind (desiring to serve God daily) to influence our actions.

God didn’t call us to live in our own comfortable places of life, where nothing is dangerous, awkward, or difficult. This relates immensely because we ask God to use us, but we never make any advances out of our comfort zone to follow where He’s leading! How can our faith grow if we’re never in any situations where we’re forced to trust God for direction, for strength, or even for our physical well being?"

"Faithful"- Willing and Able (byAndrewTodd) 

So, all I have to say is, thank you, God. 

Thank you, God, for forcing me to go out of my comfort zone. 

Thank you, God, for making me trust you. 

Thank you, God, for allowing me to be used in a way that may be scary and new, but will be a blessing. 

Thank you, God, for pushing me to do hard things.