There's Something in the Rain

There's something in the rain that leads me to believe
That inside the fear and pain, beauty lies
And I can see it in your eyes and in your smile
And your still small voice whispers in my ear, "You're beautiful"

Your song rings true and your voice quiets my heart
And your love anoints my head with the oil of gladness
You make all things beautiful in their time
Like the flowers in the field and the sun that shines
After night, and after the rain's shadows
And your still small voice whispers, "You're beautiful"

Feathers of Refuge

Let His feathers overshadow you. Find rest in the shade of his wings. Call upon him because he loves you more than the breath he breathed as a man. He will gather you together from the ends of the earth, where your heart was shattered and spread abroad. He will mend every piece and make you new. He will put new breath in your lungs and a new beat in your heart. He will give you a new melody to sing, and the glory that envelopes his throne will consume your heart and give you new life.
Let the strength of His wings protect you. Even in battle his mighty presence will befall the fray as you march onward to eternity. Make the shade of his wings your dwelling place for there alone is peace, even peace amidst trouble. He says, "Because you love me, I will rescue you and show you my salvation."
Let no fear enter your heart, for I am God and I will be your shelter. Come rest under my feathers of refuge and I will save you.

Stars

Sometimes I want to run away. I want to go far away from all of the things that could’ve been, all of the things that were. Who I have become is made of who I was and where I’ve been. Those stars up in the sky are like glittering memories. They are beautiful, but they are distant and they are, after all, gigantic burning spheres. Those gigantic burning spheres fill my mind and my heart. It aches to know they are there but I can’t help but look longingly after them. As I gaze into the velvety night sky glistening with those distant stars I can’t help but wonder what would happen if they were closer. What would happen if my memories were closer, if I could touch them and know them as they were when they were created? I think I would be very different. I wish there was a more poetic way to express my heart, but all I know is that my God has made me who I am today and he has used those memories, painful and sweet, to mold my being. Although the scars remain, although the stars are beautiful, although my heart aches with the burning memories, I will press on. I wish these words were more elegant, more passionate, more pretty. These words are merely an expression of my heart, a reminder of the wounds and a reminder of God’s healing touch. I can say with confidence: “Holy is the Lord, God Almighty!” God gave me a voice even though the ones he used to help me discover it are gone. God gave me words even though the things I once wrote about are distant memories. God gave me friendship even though some friends that once had a place in my heart are gone. But despite all of this God gave me hope and a future, God is still good; He is still mighty. He is still my everything. I will always have a reason to bow down before the Creator of heaven and earth. The air I breathe is worth giving to Him; each day I open my eyes is a day that is worth laying down at his feet, after all he is God Almighty.

I will sing.

I will write.

I will love.

I

Will

Worship. 

Proverbs 14:3

In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride, but the lips of the wise will preserve them.

                

For example, in sociology today a guy was talking about how he is agnostic; he doesn't believe in a god, he believes in himself and the “power” of discovering yourself and the world around you. I could hear the pride in his words outpouring from his heart. We cannot be our own sustenance, for when we are at the end of ourselves where will we draw strength from if our “strength” was conjured up from somewhere within. When you run out of strength, hope and life, where will you go? Will you rely on yourself alone? It is impossible, if there is nothing within you to draw from then you have no way to help yourself out. I draw my strength from God alone because I have no strength, and I have no hope apart from him. I find that there is more honor in saying, “I can live without my own strength because I draw my strength from One who is more powerful than me, One who can give me the breath to live another day, One who can keep my heart beating independently of my own will to live”; there is more honor in saying that than in saying, “I am my own strength and by my own power I live.” There are too many questions in relying on your own “power”; you do not have the power to keep yourself alive if you've been seriously wounded or if you contract a deadly disease. You do not have the power to heal in and of yourself. You cannot control what happens around you. You cannot control the drunk drivers, or the murderers, or the cheaters or diseases or wounds. The only thing you can control is the choice to put your life in the hands of One who can control these things or the choice to remain confident in your own “power”. I can confidently say that I trust God with my life, and I trust that he is in control not only of the circumstances around me but also of my very life. I am confident that the air I breathe is from His lungs and the eyes I see with are given to me so that I can see Him, and the heart within me beats to the rhythm of his love, and the mind that I perceive with is tuned to his Word so I can understand that he is God and I am not. The greatest power you can have is only given by the One who is all-powerful, and even then it is His power within you and not your own.  

Perspective

Worship always puts things into perspective. God is so much grander and stronger than what we sometimes imagine him to be. Life is full of circumstances that tend to take our focus off of who God is, and it’s no wonder that happens because this world is cursed by sin. Sin is missing God’s mark; it is missing the whole point of why God created us. God put breath in our lungs to worship him and glorify him. When you are overwhelmed by life and overcome by sin, stop and take the time to worship God. Take time out of your busy day and read his life-giving Word; pray to the Almighty Creator who knew you in your mother’s womb; sing praises to the God who gave you breath and life and the choice to worship him. Worshipping God will put your life back into perspective.

Take a moment to sit quietly.

Now think about your life.

What is your life based on?

What obstacles have arisen and how has God helped you overcome them?

What victories have you been granted on account of God’s grace?

Count, if you can, all the joyous moments in which God has revealed some aspect of his character to you in a way that changed your whole perspective of him and of life?

Now, the purpose of these questions is to make you think about who God is to you. The Israelites faced a lot of obstacles while God was leading them through the wilderness and throughout their time in the Promised Land, and each time God did a mighty work among them he commanded them to make some sort of memorial to remember what he did (Joshua 4). Humans are frail and we forget things often. God desires that we remember what he has done in our lives. We cannot thank him for his love, mercy and grace if we don’t remember how he manifested those things to us. If you are struggling to think of something remember this: Jesus Christ, the King, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, stepped down from his throne and stepped into the body of a human being; he lived a sinless life teaching the multitudes about love; he submitted to the worst death a criminal could face, yet committed no crime; and then he did the unimaginable—he defeated death. Jesus Christ rose again to be victorious over the power of sin and death. Our God’s power reaches beyond the grave and beyond mortality. When our Savior rose that day he unsealed the fate that sin had placed on us and he offered us new life and a new fate. He sent his Holy Spirit to seal our new fate; now, we are forever children of God destined to live in eternity with him (2 Corinthians 1:21-22, Ephesians 1:13-14). That is probably the best thing God did for anyone, and it’s amazing because he offers that life to everyone.

God deserves our worship not only because he gave us life, but also because he is glorious and his character is in all creation. Pride is one of those things that rises up without warning then takes over swiftly and before you know it you have fallen on your face (Proverbs 16:18). The opposite of pride is humility and when you truly consider God’s glory and his awesome works then pride has a hard time surviving in your life. Take the stars for example; scientists estimate that there are 10²³ stars in the universe, that’s 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars. I don’t even know if that number has a name, it’s so big. Our sun is an average size star and still it is 1.3 million times the size of earth; the largest stars can be up to 10 times the size of the sun which would be 13 million times the size of earth. So, those beautiful twinkling lights in the night sky are not only quite numerous (almost beyond measurement), they are also huge! Our God knows each star by name and he created each and every one of those stars. If God cares about the stars don’t you think he cares about the intimate details of our lives? God is so glorious; his creation proves that, and he deserves our humble adoring praise.

We were created to worship God and he’s given us plenty of things to inspire our praise. When life is crazy and overwhelming take the time to really worship God, to offer all that you have: your time, your finances, your body and your very life; give God these things through faith and in worship knowing that his will is being done in your life when you give him everything (Romans 12:1-2). Worship puts things into perspective and gives you clarity for your next step.

Proverbs 4:5-27

5 Get wisdom! Get understanding!

      Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

       6 Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you;

      Love her, and she will keep you.

       7 Wisdom is the principal thing;

      Therefore get wisdom.

      And in all your getting, get understanding.

       8 Exalt her, and she will promote you;

      She will bring you honor, when you embrace her.

       9 She will place on your head an ornament of grace;

      A crown of glory she will deliver to you.”

       10 Hear, my son, and receive my sayings,

      And the years of your life will be many.

       11 I have taught you in the way of wisdom;

      I have led you in right paths.

       12 When you walk, your steps will not be hindered,

      And when you run, you will not stumble.

       13 Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go;

      Keep her, for she is your life.

       14 Do not enter the path of the wicked,

      And do not walk in the way of evil.

       15 Avoid it, do not travel on it;

      Turn away from it and pass on.

       16 For they do not sleep unless they have done evil;

      And their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall.

       17 For they eat the bread of wickedness,

      And drink the wine of violence.

       18 But the path of the just is like the shining sun,

      That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.

       19 The way of the wicked is like darkness;

      They do not know what makes them stumble.

       20 My son, give attention to my words;

      Incline your ear to my sayings.

       21 Do not let them depart from your eyes;

      Keep them in the midst of your heart;

       22 For they are life to those who find them,

      And health to all their flesh.

       23 Keep your heart with all diligence,

      For out of it spring the issues of life.

       24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth,

      And put perverse lips far from you.

       25 Let your eyes look straight ahead,

      And your eyelids look right before you.

       26 Ponder the path of your feet,

      And let all your ways be established.

       27 Do not turn to the right or the left;

      Remove your foot from evil.

                                          

I like to compare wisdom to a wife. Solomon refers to wisdom as a her and “her” characteristics are very good things to seek as a wife. Verses 6-9 talk about the things that wisdom does for you, she will give you glory, honor and grace; she will promote, keep and preserve you. These, of course, as I said in the last study, are not the worldy types of glory or promotion or honor. (I think Solomon was comparing wisdom to a wife as well because he says things like love and embrace her. When a man seeks wisdom as he would a woman, he will embrace it and esteem it and love it, he will live his life by it… I want a man who seeks wisdom)

Verse 9: An ornament of grace, grace is getting what you don’t deserve, we don’t deserve an ornament upon our heads (a sign of royalty or rank or wealth). We don’t deserve honor or glory but through God’s wisdom we get these things, verse 5 says to get wisdom and to get understanding.

 Verses 16-17 give us insight into how the wicked act. The evil, those who do not seek God, cannot sleep because they are so obsessed with doing evil. When I can’t sleep usually it’s because I’m worried about something I said or something that I’ll be doing the next day or how I reacted to what someone else said, stuff like that, but, when the evil can’t sleep it’s because they need to do something wicked. Verse 17 describes their food as wickedness and their wine as violence. The children of God survive on God’s Word and his will for their lives (John 1:1-2,6:48), but the wicked survive on wickedness, their sustenance is evil and they are drunk on violence, they seek it to make them high and drunk. They will come to ruin.

 In verses 18-19 the wicked and the just are compared in terms of light and darkness. Verse 18 says, “The path of the just is like the shining sun (literally, light), that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day”. Wow I love this verse so much! The path of the just is like light that continually gets brighter until the day of completion (when Christ comes back and we are made perfect, or when we die and enter his presence also being made perfect). I think this doesn’t need my commentary, it’s so straight forward especially when compared to verse 19 which says, “The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble”.  This is also a very concise, potent verse; the wicked are so lost in darkness that they don’t even know what makes them stumble, they are just haphazardly going through life not knowing what light is. This is why Christ said in Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden”. God’s children on earth are here not only to serve and glorify him, but they are here to cast light on the dark lives of the wicked. We were all in darkness once, but Christ shined into our lives revealing himself to us and drawing us to himself so that we could be saved. It’s at that point that our lives become truly illuminated and we become the light of the world. On a side note, now that I’m in college I see a lot of people seeking “enlightenment”; they are looking for a way to understand the world and their place in it, unfortunately they are seeking it in man’s philosophies and religion, which is skewed because unless man is in God they are in darkness and are stumbling around. But God reveals himself through his creation and his Word, if only they would seek Him, then they would truly find “enlightenment”.

 Verses 24-27 give instruction on how to live life. I really like what the commentary in my Bible says about this portion of Scripture: “This section demands constancy of heart and purpose, honesty in speech, steadiness of gaze, and a right goal and walk in life”. Verse 24 stresses not speaking perversely. I always thought that perverse meant nasty or unwholesome things but it just means willfully determined to go counter to what is expected or persistent in what is wrong  (dictionary.com). So in that light this verse is saying to speak truthfully and don’t purposely decieve peope. I find it interesting that verse 25 says, “Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you”, because we don’t see with our eyelids, but 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, “For we walk by faith, not by sight”. Godly wisdom is the mechanism by which we walk by faith, by His wisdom we can know where to place our steps.  Romans 12:2 says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God”. Man has a form of wisdom that determines the course of his life, but Paul exhorts us to not be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds so that we can test and know what God’s will is, and where he wants us to place our steps. Godly wisdom is summed up quite well in James 3:17 which says, “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy”.

 Solomon writes in verse 5 to get wisdom; getting wisdom involves a fear of the Lord (Prov. 1:1-7) or the pursuit of God, which then requires us to seek his will by reading and understanding his Word, then applying it. This is how you get wisdom.

Study in Proverbs

I've recently been studying the book of Proverbs and it has been awesome! So I just thought I would share one of those studies with you all. I will probably share more in the future as well.

Becoming New

A little over a month ago I thought that everything was alright, that me and God were doing fine, and that things could not get better. But somewhere deep inside I knew that I was falling; I was sliding into complacency. I kept praying for God to spark my love for him again. I tried all the ways to be on fire for God; I prayed, I read my Bible, I spent time with other believers and still... nothing. The problem wasn't that I was not doing these things; the problem was that I was doing these things in the flesh. That word, flesh, should send chills up your spine; at this point in my life it sends chills up my spine. I couldn't have said that before God changed my life. How, you might be wondering, did God change my life? Well it's a long story that isn't finished yet and what I am going to write here is only a small segment of a chapter in my life and it begins in Peña Blanca, Honduras.

About six months ago I signed up to go on a month long mission trip to Honduras. God was calling me to go, but at the time I thought that I just wanted to go. I had been to Honduras previously and had a desire to go back every year since then. This was the year that God said yes. His yes was evident to the whole team as the months went on and he provided all the money we needed to go with an overabundance as well. But this was not the only confirmation he gave us. We met regularly to worship, pray and study the Word before the actual trip; and during this time God molded our team together into a unified body and gave us the exact spiritual gifts we needed to minister in Honduras. He cultivated in us perseverance, wisdom, patience, love, compassion, and understanding. Never before had I experienced such a move of the Holy Spirit and we weren't even in Honduras yet.

The day was rapidly approaching; June went by it seemed without even a breath, and July 1^st was upon us. That was the day before we left. I had the chance to really think about what was happening. I was leaving my family, friends and home for a month. That may not seem like a long time, but when it is one third of the summer it’s a huge thing. I was still ecstatic to be leaving though, I could hardly wait to board the plane and be on my way to Peña Blanca, Honduras. Even then God was proving his call to us, our travels were almost seamless. In the midst of the airport security, boarding planes and disembarking from them, traveling to and from the airport and finally arriving at our destination, there was a peace that surrounded all of us. God had big plans for the next month of our lives.

As we flew into San Pedro Sula, I was reminded of the last trip I had been on; I saw the banana trees, the typical huts and greenery. Everything seemed so surreal; my mind would not completely wrap around the fact that I was going to Honduras. Then the sudden jolt of landing hit me like the reality that we were finally in Honduras. After months of preparation we were here. At that point my mind was still not fully grasping everything that was happening. I could see in the team’s faces that they were excited for what God had planned and also that they felt His plans were going to be so much grander than they had imagined, and I was sharing those same thoughts. I knew God was going to change my life, but I didn’t understand just how profound it would be. Beginnings are beautiful because a hopeful expectancy surrounds the whole experience and rouses a desire to press on and discover what lies ahead. That is how I felt as the Honduran air met my lungs and I silently reveled in the glory of God’s plan.

This mission trip was very different from the other mission trips I had been on. Usually mission trips involve a lot of outreach and maybe some humanitarian efforts, those are definitely good things, but God gave our leaders a different vision for this trip. We went to be an encouragement to the missionaries living there and to disciple the young men. I was really excited for what God was going to do, but at the same time I was wondering to myself what I would personally be doing on this trip. God revealed to me that no matter what I do as long as I do it for him, his work will be done. This requires humility and submission to leadership, specifically the godly leadership that God ordains. Even though I was not a rebellious person I had to learn how to submit and not put my two cents in whenever I thought they were needed. I really discovered that my input, unless directed by God, was not needed.  This change in me even required a change in how I thought, instead of thinking first how a situation could be improved (even if it wasn’t bad) I had to submit those thoughts to God and trust that he was in control because he was and he is now. When we decide to be disciples (disciplined followers) of God we are committing 100% of our lives and our minds to him. As a disciple we submit to whatever God wants to do with us; He may take away what needs to be taken away, and He may add what needs to be added. We become empty vessels before him, therefore we just have to obey, not call the shots. God taught me this lesson in Honduras, and I have by no means been able to apply it as well as I would like to yet, but by His grace I understand more every day and am able to apply it better.

Take a moment to sit in silence, don’t do anything, don’t fidget, just sit quietly.

What do you hear?

This is a place God had to bring me to, and He used Honduras to do that. I wrote in my journal about halfway through the trip: Be quiet before the Lord and just listen. Don’t sort it out in your brain, “don’t worry about it”, in the words of a Honduran. Learn from God; don’t try to squeeze information out without listening. This was one of my shortest journal entries, but also one of the most memorable and comforting entries. Ironically, Honduras is a noisy place; there are loud people outside, loud vehicles and loud animals almost nonstop. I had to learn how to not be distracted by the noise and listen for God’s still small voice. A beautiful thing though, is that God did not create us to be solitary, he created us to be around other people, especially people who love him as well. God helped me to learn how to be still before him by giving me two awesome friends to encourage and exhort me. Almost every night Kat, Maria and I would talk for quite a while about spiritual things and sometimes silly things, and sometimes even both; but, God used those times and their words to speak to me about His will, then as I prayed about it and read Scripture, he confirmed it or led me in whatever direction I needed to go.

The States are noisy as well, but with different things than Honduras. We have distractions in almost every area of life. The TV is almost always on, the radio is on in the car or at home, constant advertising bombards us, conversations with the people around us are a given, and various other distractions invade our lives. These things aren’t inherently bad, but when we listen to them more than we listen to God, they become hindrances to our relationship with Him. My Honduras experience isn’t over yet, because I’m still learning how to deal with distractions, and it’s definitely not easy, but God continues to cultivate in me a heart that desires to have that quiet time with him, to just sit at his feet and listen. My flesh and spirit battle constantly over this time, but as I give more of it to God my spirit desires it more than my flesh can withstand. Giving time to God in order to listen and commune with him is an everyday choice that, I’m learning, is difficult to make; but with the Holy Spirit in me empowering me to draw closer to God that choice doesn’t have to remain hard. On my first Honduras trip the main lesson I learned was Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God”, now, having completed my second trip, I am reminded of this lesson and I am gaining new understanding of how to apply it.

God changed my life. He used Honduras to teach me how to submit to leadership, and how to control my thoughts and tongue. He also taught me to be still before him and really listen to his voice through being diligent in reading his word, praying and being accountable to other believers. These are only a few of the many lessons that I gleaned from this experience and are definitely not the end of lessons I will learn in the future. I praise God for his grace, and for his hand guiding my life. He truly is the Author and Finisher of my faith as well as yours. I would like to encourage whoever reads this that you don’t have to go on a mission trip or have some crazy experience to decide to be a true disciple of God and see your life changed. All you have to do is humbly submit yourself to God and obey Him in your everyday life. He desires to use those who are willing to do his will whether or not they feel equipped. He will equip you for his plan, which is grander than any of our plans.

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 2 Peter 1:3

According to God’s word we have everything we need for a godly life. Let’s use what God has given us and seek his will above our own.

Me vs, You

Ahh it's that time of year again... people are graduating and having parties; they are celebrating the end of one phase of life and looking forward with optimism to the next. One of the biggest encouragements being tossed around is Jeremiah 29:11"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."

This is true; God does, indeed, have great plans for our lives, but we forget that sometimes his plans are not our own. His plans may be uncomfortable, they may be painful at times, they may bring us to places we never imagined we could go, but they are good because they are God's.

Instead of saying, "Here's what I'm gonna do, Lord," say instead, "Lord, what do you want me to do?"

Three Little Words

Three little words always excite me; they give me goosebumps. They make me feel faint and my heart flutters away in a whirlwind.




I Love You.




No three words have ever impacted the world so greatly as these, especially when they are spoken by God. God's love is so great that when his Son died, the whole earth shook with the impact of that momentous event. No other love has been able to die, then three days later rise to be the victorious Savior of the beloved. God's love is strong, and it is loud, but it is never intrusive. He is a proper gentleman, always the initiator of relationship and never forceful when we say no, but ever persistent because he loves us so very very very much! I once heard someone say that he loved us so much that he couldn't live without us. Wow. That was my reaction. He knew that in order to live with us, he'd have to die for a little while to save us from the death that we would suffer eternally. He was dead for three days, to save us from death forever. And now our persistent lover is ALIVE! sitting at the right hand of God, bragging about us, and interceding for us. He knows that other lovers will try to seduce us and sometimes he lets them, because he wants us to love him back.
Oh how I love him! My eyes wander sometimes, but each time I am unsatisfied by those lusts I run after, whatever they may be, because Jesus alone has proven that he alone can satisfy. That may sound cliche, but I honestly know that it is true. I put my life on it, because my life is his masterpiece and it is mine alone to give back to him.
I agree with the Psalmist: "I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. (Psalm 27:13, read the rest of Ps. 27 too!)"
God is good, and I love him with my whole heart. ♥

Fly!

    The soft glow of candles and a desk lamp fills my room. A light scent of cinnamon and sunflowery-soap swirls with the current that my fan is creating. It's almost eleven at night and I'm exhausted, but there's studying and worrying to do. Worship music is playing on my laptop as my pencil scratches useless numbers and symbols on my paper.
     Oh what a sad attitude I have! This is how I felt before I heard God whisper through those melodies on my laptop. A soft "carry me on your back through the storm, Lord," broke my heart and my attitude as I hopelessly wondered why quadratic functions existed to torture me. Then I remembered that I had prayed for God to test me, to let me "prove" that I could take anything. I wish I understood God's faithfulness in answering prayers like this. But I am so very thankful that this testing arrived according to God's answer.
   This overwhelmed attitude is so tempting because a crazy busy schedule was suddenly implemented in my life. A new job, tests and essays, not to mention music and church all flooded my life with expectations that I felt I certainly could not meet. But how sad is it for me to worry when the God I serve clearly says to "be anxious for nothing" (Philippians 4:6)? Well I had to re-learn an important lesson.
    A few years ago on a missions trip to Honduras I learned the meaning of "be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). Everyday I've had to apply that, whether or not I've chosen to. The last couple of days I've been attempting to apply this with my own power. I find myself saying, "Lord, I'm being still; I'm knowing that you are God"! And each time I've been more and more overwhelmed with the amount of tasks I have to complete. God keeps saying, "Let go... Let go, my child." And I keep replying, "I am, aren't I"? Oh how finite and weak we humans are! Especially me!
     Yesterday I read a devotional from Warren Wiersbe about the very subject of being still before God. He says that the phrase "be still" literally means, "take your hands off." That was an ouch moment for me. I kept hanging on and hanging on to the insane schedule that I suddenly had thrust upon me; I kept wondering if it was humanly possible to do so many things. I was mostly whining though. I don't think there will be any whiners in God's kingdom. He reminded me of his promise in 2 Corinthians 12:9, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." If only I could remember and apply this all the time! But that's why his grace is so beautiful, because in my insufficiency he is perfectly sufficient. He is all I need; He is all I want; He is everything.
     Even now I cannot even think of anything else to write because God's supernatural peace has flooded my once worried night. Like the light chases away the darkness, his love chased away my worries. I am content with my God; his banner over me is love.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.Philippians 4:4-7

 

Though the butterfly doesn't know where the wind will take her, she flies anyway. ♥

The Pearl of Great Price

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Matthew 13:45-46

Ahh this is such a simple parable with such great meaning!
The other day in my English class we were discussing an essay, and the topic of absolute truth came up. My teacher basically said that everyone has to find their own truth, and that the only absolute truth is that there is no absolute truth. I simply could not agree with this and I asked what the point of living was without a Truth to live for.
So, back to the parable. In this case, I see the many beautiful pearls that the merchant is searching for as all the religions and philosophies in this world. Each man is a merchant searching for "truth", and when he finds the greatest pearl he gives his whole life to it.
This world is full of deception! How can anyone be sure if his or her own "truth" is truly worth living for? If there is no such thing as absolute truth then why should any of us search it out? As a Christian I know Truth personally and his name is Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
In a college setting it's really hard to argue that my truth is the Truth, but I am thoroughly convinced that it is. Jesus Christ has proven himself to me in so many, many ways, and I cannot deny his words.
I am no longer a slave to sin. Whose truth can set people free? I am going to live forever with my God and Savior. Whose truth can promise eternal life? My Jesus is alive! He was crucified and then rose from the grave! Whose truth has ever conquered death then promised victory to those who would do no more than believe on his name? I have never seen a truth with that kind of power before. I have never seen a truth that contains so much love, hope, or grace. This truth is the only one that is not just the Truth, but also the Way, and the Life. I want to live for something like that.

I have found my Pearl of Great Price, his name is Jesus Christ, and I will give all that I am for Him.

Ahh... Life :)

Well, I am quite overwhelmed right now. Lots of stuff is going on and its crazy! Good crazy, but still crazy.
I'm graduating from high school this Saturday!
I just got a job! Praise God!
I'm working on an album with my friend Kat :)
I'm going to Honduras this summer!
Ahhh its alot!
But each day God reminds me that he is in control of my life and he knows all the little details that I sometimes worry about.
God showed me Isaiah 12 which says:

In that day you will say:
“I will praise you, O LORD.
Although you were angry with me,
your anger has turned away
and you have comforted me.
Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.”
With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.

In that day you will say:
“Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done,
and proclaim that his name is exalted.
Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things;
let this be known to all the world.
Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion,
for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.”

God is so good and so faithful. Praise his name!

Epiphany!

God gave me an epiphany tonight!
I've been so torn with what my future holds--what college I'll go to, what I'll study once I'm there, what I'll be doing or who I'll be with in ten years (if Christ doesn't return before then!), just questions that I simply can't answer now. Then, almost this instant God reminded me that he is the Author and Finisher of my faith(Hebrews 12:2), he is the One who began a good work in me and will carry it on to completion (Philippians 1:6); I am only supposed to humbly obey him and live a quiet life (1 Thessalonians 4:11). Ahh I could go on and on about who God is and what he's done in my life, but there wouldn't be enough time or space!
I encourage all of you (whoever reads this) to read Psalm 37; it says very succinctly what I would take many, many words to say.
Ultimately, God is my future, he is my goal, he is my everything. ♥

When I Awake

Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure. Psalm 16:5-9 
And I—in righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness. Psalm 17:15

God is so good! The other night I was having a pretty rough time and God showed me these verses. They are so perfect. Life is full of uncertainties, and difficult situations, and bad days but the God we serve has given us the blessing of confidence that our "boundary lines have fallen in pleasant places." God laid out our boundary lines as he does for the nations, let us not try to conquer other people's boundaries or lay new boundaries of our own. God knows what he's doing and we must "be still and know that he is God" (Psalm 46:10).
I know that when my life is overwhelming He is always there; "even at night my heart instructs me." I love how David says, "I have set the Lord always before me"; we are not ahead of God even though we try to be sometimes. I have tried to set myself before God, but it never works. Ever. Then David says, "because he is at my right hand I will not be shaken." To me, this evokes the image of a little child holding on to Daddy's hand. I imagine the little kid walking along pulling on his Father and then tripping, Dad is right there to hold him up.
So... after a hard day and a breath of fresh air with this passage I can say confidently that, "my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure. And I will see your face; when I awake I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness." Ahh it is good to wake up in the presence of God! ♥

First Post!

Welcome to my new blog! I'm new at this and still learning the details but hopefully it will be a blessing!

I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:13-14

This is the namesake for my blog. I am, indeed, confident that I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living and I will write about his unceasing goodness. I'm looking forward to the many posts that will end up here!