Wednesday, March 31, 2010

I AM

Good Morning! I'm in love with today. Another day to learn more about God, to spend time with Him, to spend time with others, and to go to church!

Over the past year and half probably, my view of who God is has changed drastically. When my grandmother began to get really sick and it became obvious that she wasn't going to get any better here on Earth, I really struggled with prayer. God was saying no to my petitions, so I gave up. I didn't want to talk to a God that didn't listen to me. Then, last semester, the daughter of the sweetest couple was diagnosed with Leukemia. With an army of prayer warriors behind them pleading with God to heal her, He still chose to take her home to Him.
I have also had the opportunity to share my faith to a dear friend over the coarse of the last year, and this has also brought a change to my view. While trying to explain His sovereignty and His power and His wrath and His mercy and His love, I had to really stop and I think if I truly had a grasp on those things myself.

Needless to say, all of these things and more have really rattled my cookie-cutter, Sunday school view of the Almighty. And I am thankful for this. We are supposed to grow in our faith and in our understanding of the Lord.

My Structural Materials professor said one of the wisest things I've ever heard last week. He had a brain tumor last year, and a student was asking him if it changed his outlook on life. He replied by saying he did think about his children and his more and how they would've lived without him there, but he knew that God's sovereignty would not be changed whether he lived or died. God would still be God. Wow, what an amazing example my professor with an amazing testimony and an inspiring view of God.


Last night, I started re-reading a book I had picked up at the beginning of the school year. I saw my friend reading it yesterday, and was inspired to check it out again. It's called "How to Stay Christian in College" by J. Budziszewski. In the second chapter, the author does his best to explain God with words:
"God is like nothing we could have imagined. God is utterly other than us --other in a way we express with the word holiness. Yes, He dwells within each Christian, but He's not you. He isn't the same as you, He isn't a part of you, and He isn't a "higher" you. Yes, you're made in His image, but you're not Him. You're not the same as Him, you're not a part of Him, and you aren't a "splinter" of Him--nor will you ever be. He doesn't depend on anything else because He is what everything else depends on. He can't be explained by anything else because He is what everything else is explained by Although we can know what He has taught us about Himself, we can never comprehend Hem completely because He is greater than our minds. anything He will, He can do. He not only hold supreme power but He also uses it. Nothing can defeat Him and nothing can happen contrary to His will. He is also supremely good--light with no darkness. Although evil is real, He detests it and brings it to judgment. He knows everything, He pays attention to everything, and nothing escapes His notice. He's not just a What and a Who, like me or like you, but one What and three Whos--one God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There is no one like Him. He is set apart. He is what He is, and there was never a time when He was not."

There's something for me to chew on for awhile! This week, I hope everyone will examine their view of God. Where did that view come from? Is it what God tells me He is in His word? Or is it just what I want Him to be?

Thank you to my sweet friend Amanda Cofer, who sent me a wonderful commentary on yesterday's passage. I pray that each of you has a beautiful day!

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Wives...

First, thank you to my dear friends who sent me your thoughts yesterday! They were very helpful and made me so thankful for the army of Godly people in my life. I hope to have even more time to study this passage along with your comments soon!

Today, I forged on to the rest of chapter 5. "Wives and Husbands." Until recent months, I have skipped over any passage like this that has to do with marriage, for a number of reasons. The obvious one, I'm not married. And also because I know what it says, and frankly I don't love it..

Verse 22 says "Wives, submit to your own husbands as to the Lord, (23) for the husband is head of the wife as also Christ is head of the church." One look at that, and I'm running the other way sometimes! My pastor preached a sermon on this not too long ago, and I leaned over to my friend Kristy and said, "I'm never getting married." We both laughed of course, but I do know that I need to be submissive to the person that God places in my life for marriage.

My pride gets in the way. I'm too selfish for love and submission sometimes. I have always had it in mind to be a very strong, independent woman that can do anything a man can do, and probably do it better! I hate the way women are portrayed in the media, so I want to do what I can to fight it and succeed in a male industry and have a little pride in myself. But is that what God wants for women? Is my goal of being a strong and successful woman wrong? Can I keep that goal and that mindset and still be a submissive wife?

So, it's obvious that I need to make some changes! Though I am not married, I hope to be in the not so distant future, and my husband deserves a wife that will submit to him. I am challenging myself to pour over the scripture and learn what God's view of a wife is. I also have some amazing examples of Godly women in my life to look to. My mom is such a wonderful example of a loving, caring, yet strong, wife and mother. Dan's mother, Lacey, is also another beautiful role model. When I walk into their living room, she often has her Bible out reading, and it makes smile. Thank you God for the wonderful examples of wives you have placed in my life.

So again, I'm asking for some help. To all of you married women, how do you do it? What makes your marriage work? I know that if I continually seek Him, God will show me and will give me the ability to become a submissive and loving wife.

Also, I want to say a huge congrats to all my recently engaged friends and to my sister, who will be getting married in May! I will be praying that God will bless your marriages and that you will strive to be the women God want you to be.

P.S. Mom, I know you need some recovery time after Allison's wedding. Don't worry! :)

Monday, March 29, 2010

Imitators of God

I have been continuing to read in Ephesians. Now I'm in chapter 5! I was actually in chapter 5 a couple of days ago, and when I sat down to write, I didn't know what to say. Verses 1-21 are intimidating. So today I thought I'd give it another shot, asking the Holy Spirit to give me wisdom and discernment. And I'm still kind of at a loss.. Here's what I got!

The first thing Paul says, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is, "Therefore, be imitators of God." Sounds easy enough, right! Ya know, the creator of the universe, the most perfect example of love and mercy and grace.. ?? So Paul continues on and says do this by walking in love just like the Messiah loved us and gave himself for us. Ok, so to imitate God, I must love! I think I can do that. But only with help from the Lord. I have a hard time loving people that are easy to love sometimes! So loving everyone just as Christ loves me is a task. So after we are commanded to love, Paul goes on to share some other things that make us imitators of God:

No sexual immorality, no coarse or foolish joking, don't participate in fruitless acts, walk as children of light (in goodness, righteousness, and truth), walk as wise people, make most of the time, don't be foolish but know the Lord's will, don't get drunk on wine, but be filled with the Holy Spirit, speak to one another in psalms and hymns, give thanks for everything, and submit to one another in the for fear of Christ.

Woah.. my first thoughts.. how in the world am I supposed to remember, let alone do or not do all that?! And then I think, well I can do anything with Christ's help. And I truly believe that I can. And I have to remember that I can't beat myself up over sin. I have to be truly repentant and always be thoughtful not to sin, but it is our nature, so I will be careful to give God the praise for his forgiveness!

I think my biggest hang up is this. Yesterday, Dan's preacher said that the Christian life is not a life of do's and don'ts. And I have also thought this, but here, Paul gives us a huge list of things to do and things not to do as a way to imitate God. So.. I guess I need to do some thinking here. How do you live the Christian life? In college, it often seems by not drinking or not cussing or not having sex. But I can be that person and still be no closer to Christ.

Ok, so I'm thinking that the greatest of all these commands is love. And the Bible says they will know we are Christians by our love! Mini break through! haha.
And I know that the Christian life should not be legalistic. So is the point there that all of the do's and don'ts can't save you, but if you are truly saved and are walking as children of the light, following that list will become the desire of your heart?

Today, I'm shouting out to all my friends for some help on this one. How does one truly live the Christian life? How does someone imitate God without being bound to a list of right and wrong? Or is that the only way? Hit me up with some help! Shoot me a message or a text or just leave a comment here or on my wall. Thank you in advance :)

I pray that each of you has a blessed Monday. Back to school and work after a much needed break for some, and just another day at the office for others. I love you all, and I thank God for you :)

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Sunday :)

Today is a wonderful day! I woke up! My family made it home safely from Branson, I don't have to work, and most importantly, church this morning was.. a blessing!

Since my family was out of town, I went to church with Dan and his family. I don't really know what it is about his church, but unfortunately.. it just doesn't do it for me usually. I don't know if it's the size or I'm just a stick in the mud and I only like my church, haha. But this morning's service was just great! I wish I had better adjectives to describe it!

The songs we sang were some of my absolute most favorite songs! How Deep the Father's Love For Us. The words to that song can preach! "How deep the Father's love for us. How vast beyond all measure. That He would give His only son, to make a wretch His treasure. How great the pain of searing loss. The Father's turns His face away, as wounds which mar the chosen one bring many sons to glory." Almost anyone who has watched me sing at church knows that I have a hard time standing still. I don't want to be a distraction, but I don't understand how people can sing and hear these words and not be moved! The following song was Jesus Paid it All. Lately, I have played and sung this song a lot in my quiet times. The words of this hymn convict me, make me thankful, make me wanna sing out, raise my hands, and praise God for sending His son. Music really touches my heart. Truth-filled lyrics and beautiful music.. it gets me going! I close my eyes and imagine myself sitting at the foot of the throne of God, and I am singing the words to Him. To praise Him, and thank Him, and worship Him, and love Him, and exalt Him. We were sitting down for the first 2 verses of this song, I wanted to stand up so badly, haha. Thankfully we all stood and sang the last verse. "And when before the throne, I stand in Him complete, 'Jesus died my soul to save." My lips shall still repeat." Needless to say, I was truly moved by the songs today.

And the sermon. I'm usually a little skeptical of the sermons at Dan's church.. Their pastor is an amazing speaker who doesn't shy away from difficult truths. But sometimes I feel like he doesn't make the Gospel accessible to non believers or even young believers. He is an extremely educated, inspiring, and spirit-filled man, but I guess the words he uses kinda send the message over my head. But anyway! Today, I was determined to really focus and receive the word of God. And guess what, I did!! Following Jesus Paid it All, the preacher began teaching about God's wrath from Leviticus 20. Paraphrasing his first statement, he said, "a lesser view of sin makes for a lesser view of praise because the price of grace seems cheap." God takes sin very seriously and His wrath can be very great! But that only means that God's grace is even greater! We have to understand that God detests sin, and that His wrath because of it can be huge. But is grace is all-sufficient and can cover any sin. He spoke for a long time about the punishment that God's people received for their sins from the text, and then he said this. "The wrath of God we see here was poured on the head of Christ." On the cross, Jesus truly paid it all. How deep the Father's love for us!

God's wrath is real, and it is mighty, but Christ took is upon himself for us. In this, I must be joyful! I shouldn't live a life of do's and don't's in the name of Christ, but I should live a life of joy and thankfulness. Looking back to the cross, looking forward to Heaven, and praising God all the while.

"For nothing good have I, whereby thy grace to claim. I'll wash my garments white in the blood of Calvary's lamb."

Monday, March 22, 2010

Long Time, No Blog

Hello blog. I have missed you so. My daily schedule was a stranger to me last week. I celebrated my inaugural all-nighter on Thursday night, and I finally feel like I've recovered my lost hours of sleep. I have gotten the grades for 2 of my 3 tests from last week, and thus far, I am pleased. But boy am I ever praising the Lord for Spring Break! Saturday, my aunt through a wonderful wedding shower for my sister! Lots of guests, lots of gifts, and lots of love. *precious* And this snow! Winter just can't let go! I feel bad for the poor guy.. once Christmas has come and gone, old Winter gets a bad rap.. I love you Winter! But.. I love Spring too!
Yesterday, I spent the day at home with my family, and it was lovely. We just hung around the house, watched tv, ate dinner, played games, and then I went with Dan and his family to pick up Lacey from the airport. The Lord has truly blessed me with an incredible family!

My reading this morning was from Matthew 26. Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane and literally falls down on his face and prays to the Father. The same Father that I have access to every minute of every day. Thank you, Lord, for prayer. C.H. Spurgeon used Christ's prayer to illustrate some vital characteristics of prayer. Two of these attributes that I really liked were lonely and humble.

Lonely and Humble. Praying on your own, in a secret and quiet place, is one of the best ways to get close to the Father. Jesus left his friends to get alone, fell on his face before his Father, and prayed an intimate prayer. He also came to the Lord humbly. If we do not acknowledge that we are nothing without God, if we don't fall on our faces before the Almighty God, then we don't give Him the opportunity to raise us up and show himself glorious.

Today in prayer, I got alone and humbled myself the best I knew how and the first words that came to mind were those of a song that my dad has led at church a few times. "I come before you today, and there's just one thing that I want to say. Thank you Lord. Thank you Lord. For all you've given to me. For all the blessings that I cannot see. Thank you Lord. Thank you Lord. With a grateful heart, with a song of praise, with an outstretched arm, I will bless your name. Thank you Lord, I just wanna thank you Lord. Thank you Lord, I just wanna thank you Lord. Thank you Lord."
Sometimes, that's all I can think to say. The Lord has absolutely blessed me more than I ever deserve, and He does it all "to the praise of the glory of His grace."

I've had some big thoughts running through my head lately. With my sister's wedding fast approaching, my own future has been on my mind. And I know that is so common for me to make big decisions, and then come to God and ask Him to bless my choice. But now I am challenging myself to come humbly before the Lord and pray that He guides me in my choice. "Yet not as I will, but as You will."

Again, thank you so much for all the prayers during this past week. They were definitely felt! I pray that you all have a beautiful week. Until next time..

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

"Under His Wings"

What a week I'm having.. Cram packed with exams, homework, projects, and the few minutes a day I squeeze in to be with friends and family. This morning I was sitting in class, preparing for our test tomorrow, with the material for today's test swirling around in my brain, and I got a wonderful text from Dan's mom. She told me she prayed for me about my tests. Then she gave me a verse for this week: "I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed."

I am so thankful that people are remembering me in their prayers and encouraging me to keep on keepin' on. It is such a blessing to hear these things, and that verse is exactly what I need for this week! I wrote the verse on the front page of my test today, and will keep writing it on all my tests until this disaster of a week has passed!

The whole verse reads, "Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed." Psalm 57:1
The passage this verse comes from was written by David when he had fled from Saul was staying in a cave. David describes all the things he is up against; people hotly pursueing him, lions, ravenous beasts, men with spears, arrows, and swords, and in the midst of all of this, he is stopping and taking to time to call out to God to have mercy on him. This crazy week of exams and studying and working is absolutely nothing compared to what David faced, so I know that if God can deliver David out of that cave, He will be faithful to get me through this week. And in return I must be careful to give Him the praise.

Everyone should read and meditate on Psalm 57. It is an incredible depiction of God's love and faithfulness to His children. I will read this passage every morning this week. My God is all-powerful and can deliver us from anything He chooses to.

"Under His wings, I am safely abiding,
though the night deepens and tempests are wild.
Still I can trust Him, I know He will keep me.
He has redeemed me and I am His child.

Under His wings, under His wings.
Who from His love can sever?
Under His wings, my soul shall abide,
Safely abide forever."

Monday, March 15, 2010

What time is it?!

Happy Monday!! What a wonderful weekend! I hope everyone had a relaxing time. Shout out to my dad, who did an amazing job on his first ever live guitar performance at church last night! He did a beautiful job!

I'm running a little behind this morning, so I shall keep it short and sweet. :)

I continued my reading in Ephesians today and came to a verse that I had underlined.
Eph 4:29 "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers."

My friend Sarah told me a couple of years ago that her and some friends used to use this verse when they heard one of them gossiping or talking bad about other people. They would say, "What time is it?" And cleverly, the answer would be "4:29." I kinda thought it was silly when she told me that, but now I find myself thinking about it and being more aware of talking about people.

I love to talk, and sometimes I even love to gossip.. but I KNOW that that kinda of speech is not "good to the use of edifying" nor does it "minister grace unto the hearers." Thankfully, the last verse of the chapter says "be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." For all the times God knew I would sin, and knew I would say a bad word, or put someone down, His son died for the forgiveness of my sins.

So please, if you hear, see, or even suspect that I'm talking rudely about someone or gossiping unkindly, remind me of the time, and I will thank you :)

Prayers! Dan's mom, Lacey, is traveling to ..Philadelphia? this week for some fancy science teacher meeting. Please pray that she have safe travels! I also pray that she might have a chance to witness to someone new :)
Also, I have 3 tests and a project due this week. The big push before spring break. TONS of prayers are needed to get me through this week! Thanks so much!! LOVES.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Cast all your cares.

Happy weekend to everyone! I am so thankful that I survived the week and that it is now SATURDAY!!

This morning I have an interview with the Freshman Engineering Program for a job as a peer mentor. As a peer mentor I would get to meet with 10-15 freshman engineering students 1-on-1 every week, and we would just talk about school, life, activities, and I would provide them with study and note-taking tips and any other amazing advice I have to offer.
I'm really excited about this opportunity! It's a great way to meet to new students and maybe even share my faith. ..not to mention I won't have to work at the mall anymore! :)

So in preparation for my interview, I've looked at some verses to help me not worry or be anxious about it. If it's God's will that I get this job, then it'll happen! And if it's God's will that I work at the mall forever, then I'll need serious prayer! haha

This is what God's word has provided me with this morning:
"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you." 1 Peter 5:6-7
Humble myself.. dang, that's a toughy sometimes. I always like to be the person that's right! (Just ask Dan Dan.) I wanna be in control and in charge, but that's what leads to worry. The pressure to get things done and do well is overwhelming sometimes. I MUST learn to continually cast my cares upon the Lord.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, 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." Phil. 4:6-7
Here, God straight up says, "Do not worry!" Oye.. another toughy. It's so natural for me to worry. I worry all the time about so many things. But it is such an insult to God for me to worry about things. He is over all things! He is so powerful! Ephesians 1 says that the same power that God used to raise Christ from the dead is inside of us! How dare I worry about a homework assignment or a scheduling conflict when the power of the Almighty God is dwelling in me. "I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me."

I know there are so many other verses confirming that God is in control and will provide for me whatever it is He sees fit. I am determined to go into my interview, not worrying or anxious, but humble and confident that God cares for me.


I know I already have friends and family that pray for me often. Thank you again! Here I go, off to be viewed internally! :)

Thursday, March 11, 2010

One

Well Good Morning to you! I hope everyone had a marvelous Wednesday. I was fortunate enough to get to go to church last night, help make a tasty dinner for everyone, and learn a great lesson from Abraham's life. How great to know that God will keep forgiving and keep blessing even though we mess things up sometimes.

This morning I continued reading in Ephesians. I really latched on to verses 4-6.
"For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope at your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all."

Initially, I thought this was an amazing affirmation of our faith. There is one way. One God that is above everything! There is only one kind of faith in one God that will get you to heaven.
The little heading above the text in my Bible said this passage was about unity in the body of Christ. I've learned a lot about how important that is in the past year or two. If God's people are not one body in Him, then were are counterproductive. We are not accomplishing what He has called us to do. How much greater could our influence be if were functioned as one body in Christ? There are so many people in the world that need to be reached for Christ, and a body of believers can only be effective if they think and act as one.

Another thought I had while reading (my mind tends to wander off in the mornings.. haha) was about a T-shirt I had once. It was from a youth conference in 7th grade. It had a big green hand on it that showed the number "1," and the message of the conference was about an audience of one. The shirt was kind of hideous and silly, but the message was simple and effective. We don't live our lives for other people to watch us. Our actions are not to glorify others, but to glorify God. Sometimes, when I'm about to sing a special at church, and I get really nervous, I try to remember that I'm singing for an audience of One. Nerves and fear creep in and say, "Who are you kidding; there are 250 people out there waiting to hear something.. and it better be good. They're expecting a lot!" But I know even if I forget the words or sing the wrote notes, if I get up there and truly worship, God will glorified. ..and the congregation will clap regardless and my mom will pat my leg and say I did a good job.
I am not here to live my life for anyone else. I'm here to live my life for "one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all."


Thanks to everyone for your prayers. I don't wanna get greedy, but I have another test today.. :)
Also, I wanna give a shout out to my Structural Materials teacher. He was awarded the Charles and Nadine Baum Faculty Teaching Award
. He is a wonderful teacher, a man of God, and a blessing to all his students. Congrats Dr. Hale!



Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Glory.

I had a hard time getting outta bed today. I was so darn comfortable, and I knew that as soon as I got up, my day would be non stop till bedtime. But I finally sucked it up, rolled outta bed, and the first thing that came to mind was, "Soo.. rise and shine and give God the glory, glory." I almost laughed a little bit. Then I made my way to the bathroom and thought of "To God be the glory, to God be the glory, to God be the glory, for the things he hath done." And of course that had to be followed up with "To God be the glory great things he hath done, so loved He the world that He gave us His Son.."

That's how my mind works.. alllllways a song bouncing around in there. Sometimes it's distracting, but this morning, it's exactly what I needed! So I sat down at my desk, put on my snuggie, and went to read my daily dose of Spurgeon. I just couldn't get into it.. So I moved onto my daily reading about women in the Bible. Still, just wasn't feeling it.. So I prayed. And all I could think about were those songs I had stuck in my head.

I've been studying Ephesians with a friend lately and I remembered a verse I had memorized from Chapter 1. "To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved." That phrase, "to the praise of the GLORY of His grace," is repeated again a few verses later. All the amazing things God blesses us with and gives us when we don't deserve it are all for the praise of the glory of His grace. "So rise and shine and give God the glory, glory!"

That's why I'm here. To glorify God. It's fairly obvious that I fall short, but God is forgiving, and wants me to continue on and give Him glory.

I thought I'd look up some scriptures that had the word glory in them to keep with me today. So I turned my concordance, flipped over to G, found "glory" and.. there are soooooo many verses! I wish I had time to sit and read them all. I chose 3 from Ephesians.

Eph. 1:6 "To the praise of the GLORY of His grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved."

1:12 "That we should be to the praise of His GLORY, who first trusted in Christ.".

3:21 "Unto Him be GLORY in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen"

Whew! I'm fired up and ready to go now! "To God be the glory."

A few prayer requests :) I have a test at 11:30 today. I'm so thankful for all of my friends and family who keep up with my schooling and pray for me often. Thank you!
Also, I was supposed to be a volunteer leader for a Jr. High girls purity retreat this weekend, but it was postponed so more girls could have to the chance to register. Please be in prayer for everyone that will be there. We will get to talk about some difficult stuff and build friendships based on the Lord. Thank you already for your prayers. Have a beautiful Wednesday!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

"Prayer For a Friend"

Well for starters, yesterday was a wonderful day! A couple of classes in the morning, some time to myself in the afternoon, and then I had the lovely privilege of babysitting the coolest 3 yr old on the planet! Then I ended my day with some time at the casa with my familia. I am so blessed.
My main squeeze, Dan-Dan, has had an awful headache.. so if you could all say a little prayer for big head, we would be so grateful :)

Another lovely day! I haven't left the building yet, but everything is going smoothly thus far. My quiet time this morning was spent in Ephesians chapter 3.

Paul is basically one of my favorite authors ever. I am in love with his humility, his willingness to suffer for the cause of Chirst, and most of all, his prayers for his friends.
Ephesians 3:16-19:
"I pray that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, and that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saint what is the length and width, height and depth of God's love, and to know the Messiah's love that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

Wow.. how deep the Father's love for us. And how great Paul's love for the people. I spend a lot of time praying for my friends who do not know Christ. I pour out my heart that they might be saved. But my friends and family that do know Christ need just as much prayer, if not more! They are facing trials and persecution that lost people know nothing about. So today, I challenge you to take this prayer of Paul's, and pray it for a friend.

I have prayed this prayer 17 times today. Mom, Dad, Allison and Eli, Jacob, Dan, Lacey, Jamie, Natalie, Kristy, Kelsey, Kevin, Kendell, Jennifer L, Sarah M, Becky P, Kayla, and for my church family. I am thankful for each and everyone of you, and I pray that God strengthens you with power through His Holy Spirit.

Monday, March 8, 2010

"..all to Him I owe"

Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.

For my birthday last year, Dan's family gave me this amazing book. It's called "Then Sings My Soul." It's a book filled with hymns, new and old, and the story that is behind them all. I'm in love with music! I always have a song stuck in my head, and I'm most likely humming, singing, or whistling. So needless to say, this book is perfect! Some mornings, like today, instead of reading from a tradition devotional book, I pick a song here, and really meditate on the words. Today I chose "Jesus Paid It All." I sit at my desk, pick up my guitar, and worship.

To think, Jesus paid the price for my sins by dying on the cross. My youth pastor told us once that if one of us were the only person on the planet, that Christ would still have died on the cross. That he loved me enough to give His life. What an unbelievable thought. But then, that also means that my sin alone is enough to crucify Him.. woah. Humbling. Embarrassing really, if you think about it. My wrong-doings, lies, bad attitude, bad language, deceit, and other sins are so great, that Christ had to die for them..

Sometimes, all I can think to do is sit at His throne and say thank you. 'Thank you Lord, for saving my soul. Thank you Lord, for making me whole. Thank you Lord, for giving to me, thy great salvation so rich and free.' There is no way I could ever physically say thank you enough, but that's not what He wants anyway. It's not about lip service. He wants my life. In return for his amazing act of love, I should live for Him. "Present your body as a living sacrifice, for this is your spiritual act of worship." With everything I have, everything I do, every word I say, I should be worshiping Him! Well with the help of the Holy Spirit, that's what I will strive to do. I have fallen short many times, but then I'm reminded, "For nothing good have I, whereby Thy grace to claim; I'll wash my garments white, In the blood of Calvary's lamb." I can never give enough that will repay Him, but still, "all to Him I owe."


"Jesus Paid It All" ~ Elvina Hall & John Grape, Romans 12:1, "Thank You Lord" ~ Bessie Sykes

A New Home

Helloo!! My blog has a new home :) I think I can post links to it on Facebook. (I'm sure all 2 of my readers will want to keep up! haha)