Today is Thursday. An absolutely gorgeous Thursday! Let us rejoice and be glad. I hope everyone has had a wonderful week this far. Mine has been quite nice :) My classes, though great in number, seem interesting, and I'm excited about most of them! But what I'm even more excited about it what I read this morning in my daily dose of Spurgeon..
On Monday I wrote on how I have been challenged to see that Christ is more than enough for me. And I've been working hard to remind myself of that throughout the week. And because God answers prayers, He sent me a reminder! And in His perfect time. Ya know how you hear a great message or have a great quiet time or go away to an awesome conference and you come back with that message really weighing heavy on your heart? And for me.. If I don't work to continuously remind myself and work towards this new goal or way of thinking, I'm good for about 3 days. After that, I lose my focus again. Or sometimes forget it all together! So here I am, 3 days after posing this challenge to myself, and God provides a reminder :)
Speaking about the Lord's people: "God is their portion, Christ their companion, the Spirit their comforter, Earth their lodge, and Heaven their home... [His] covenant is a treasury of wealth, a granary of food, a fountain of life, a store-house of salvation, a charter of peace, and a haven of joy."
How can I not be overjoyed?! If I am truly a joint heir with Jesus, how can I not be more than satisfied? Earth truly is just my lodge. A temporal home that is so unimpressive compared to the glories of Heaven. His covenant gives me life! And not the life that I have been so attached to here, but one that will last forever!
I am so thankful for this reminder that God provided today. "I say to myself, 'The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.'" -Lamentations 3:24
..Ya know the first time I ever heard that verse? I had broken up with my first boyfriend.. We'd been dating for almost 2 years, and I was pretty crushed.. I was too young to know about true love, but I was still heart broken. And a precious friend called me the next day and shared that verse with me. I instantly knew that I would be fine. I would move on and be even better than before. And as trivial as losing my boyfriend at 15 may seem now, the lesson I learned is still powerful!
God is my portion. Christ is my companion! And Heaven is my home :)
I am praying today that everyone will be more than satisfied with Christ. Looking towards Heaven and being eager to arrive. Everyone please have a sensational day and remember to rejoice a little!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Satisfied?
GOOOOOD MORNING EVERYONE! The first day of school is upon us, and I am so excited! I have missed blogging and have been anxiously awaiting today so I could do my back to school post.
This summer was... different. In short, I made new friends, grew closer to existing ones, and grew apart from others. I am learning to embrace change, love, trials, and disappointment. I have cried. I have laughed. I have loved. And I have drawn closer to the Lord through it all. So! An enormous thank you to my family, sweet friends, and loved ones for all the support, prayers, and love :) And I'm unashamedly asking for more of the same this semester!!
One of the changes in my life this summer has been attending UBC with Dan and his family. I am beyond excited to get involved and meet more members of the body of Christ! Yesterday, Pastor Mike preached from 2 Corinthians 4 and 5. First, I am so thankful that I can go each week and hear him fearlessly, unashamedly, boldly, and truthfully share God's word. He is not afraid to offend with the truth of the Word. And I'd say he is often successful in that! And each week I come away challenged. Though be it uncomfortable.. it is a blessing!
At the beginning of the sermon, I was posed with a question. "Does Christ satisfy me?" Does He really, truly, honestly satisfy? Do I want Him more than anything? All the time? And I had to say no.. I spend so much time and effort thinking and planning for my future here on Earth. I am often consumed with thoughts of marriage, sex, career, finances, graduating, where I'm gonna live.. If Christ is truly enough for me, why am I spinning in circles trying to sort out a future that is so uncertain? Am I willing to fore-go marrying the person I love, or the perfect job to be taken up with Christ and be happy about it? I'm guilty of wishing that Christ would wait to return until I've accomplished things here! I'm so unsure of what Heaven will be like.. But I'm commanded:
"Fix your eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen in temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Cor. 4:18
A successful career.. A loving husband.. A new place to live.. All great things in any one's book, even if they are temporary. But I MUST be convinced that the best of all of these pale in comparison to one moment in Christ's presence.
I am challenged to retrain myself. Christ's love for me is more than enough! Everyday, I have to remind myself that Heaven, though unseen, will be more fulfilling than anything I can ever imagine. So hopefully, I can soon say with confidence, "Lord Jesus, come quickly."
Lord, forgive me for being so attached to the things of this world. You have blessed me beyond measure, and it's hard to think that someday I will trade it in to be with You. But it won't even feel like a sacrifice once I'm basking in your glory in Heaven.
Now I am ready! Ready to begin a new year in college! And with this year come a lot of big decisions. So I'm shamelessly asking for prayer and support :) There will undoubtedly be times when I'm sitting at my desk, sleep deprived, in tears, up to my eyeballs in the hardest work I've ever done.. perhaps that will prompt me to beg for Christ's quick return! Ha!
Thank you in advance for the thoughts and prayers! Sending love to my favorite freshman, Kirsten Ramay. Good luck today!! :)
I am praying that everyone has a blessed week and that we all fix our eyes on the prize!
This summer was... different. In short, I made new friends, grew closer to existing ones, and grew apart from others. I am learning to embrace change, love, trials, and disappointment. I have cried. I have laughed. I have loved. And I have drawn closer to the Lord through it all. So! An enormous thank you to my family, sweet friends, and loved ones for all the support, prayers, and love :) And I'm unashamedly asking for more of the same this semester!!
One of the changes in my life this summer has been attending UBC with Dan and his family. I am beyond excited to get involved and meet more members of the body of Christ! Yesterday, Pastor Mike preached from 2 Corinthians 4 and 5. First, I am so thankful that I can go each week and hear him fearlessly, unashamedly, boldly, and truthfully share God's word. He is not afraid to offend with the truth of the Word. And I'd say he is often successful in that! And each week I come away challenged. Though be it uncomfortable.. it is a blessing!
At the beginning of the sermon, I was posed with a question. "Does Christ satisfy me?" Does He really, truly, honestly satisfy? Do I want Him more than anything? All the time? And I had to say no.. I spend so much time and effort thinking and planning for my future here on Earth. I am often consumed with thoughts of marriage, sex, career, finances, graduating, where I'm gonna live.. If Christ is truly enough for me, why am I spinning in circles trying to sort out a future that is so uncertain? Am I willing to fore-go marrying the person I love, or the perfect job to be taken up with Christ and be happy about it? I'm guilty of wishing that Christ would wait to return until I've accomplished things here! I'm so unsure of what Heaven will be like.. But I'm commanded:
"Fix your eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen in temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Cor. 4:18
A successful career.. A loving husband.. A new place to live.. All great things in any one's book, even if they are temporary. But I MUST be convinced that the best of all of these pale in comparison to one moment in Christ's presence.
I am challenged to retrain myself. Christ's love for me is more than enough! Everyday, I have to remind myself that Heaven, though unseen, will be more fulfilling than anything I can ever imagine. So hopefully, I can soon say with confidence, "Lord Jesus, come quickly."
Lord, forgive me for being so attached to the things of this world. You have blessed me beyond measure, and it's hard to think that someday I will trade it in to be with You. But it won't even feel like a sacrifice once I'm basking in your glory in Heaven.
Now I am ready! Ready to begin a new year in college! And with this year come a lot of big decisions. So I'm shamelessly asking for prayer and support :) There will undoubtedly be times when I'm sitting at my desk, sleep deprived, in tears, up to my eyeballs in the hardest work I've ever done.. perhaps that will prompt me to beg for Christ's quick return! Ha!
Thank you in advance for the thoughts and prayers! Sending love to my favorite freshman, Kirsten Ramay. Good luck today!! :)
I am praying that everyone has a blessed week and that we all fix our eyes on the prize!
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