Isaiah 30:15
This is what the Sovereign Lord,
the Holy One of Israel, says:
“Only in returning to me
and waiting for me will you be saved.
In quietness and confidence is your strength…
Isaiah 30:15 October 18, 2008
Talkin’ the talk October 18, 2008
Isaiah 29:13
And so the Lord says, “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away. And their worship of me amounts to nothing more than human laws learned by rote.”
This is so often the down fall of Christianity. People who are not believers see people who say that they are Christians but the way they live their lives would suggest otherwise. I have seen many examples of this complaint while living on campus, my roommate for example. She believes in a God but does is not sure about the whole “organized religion” thing because she has seen so many people who are in the front row of church every Sunday but as soon as they walk back into their everyday lives, they become a different person all together. She sees the hypocrisy and associates that with the character of God, not with the flaws of people. This is one of the saddest and most devastating truths to me about the world that we live in. Those around us that believe in a God but refuse to accept him because of our short comings and failures, not His. People see the hypocrisy and then reject our faith because we are not genuine and truthful. We are challenged to be different but not a weird different. Our eccentricity should be something that is desired, not mocked. We are called to reflect the character of God, his love, kindness and truthfulness and when we fail to do this we not only hurt ourselves but we also may be leading others away from a faith that is life changing and the most important thing they will ever discover. It’s a scary thought but it is the truth. We are God’s people and His light to the world so lets do our best in reflecting that while still being open and honest about our failures and shortcomings.
This little light of mine October 18, 2008
Isaiah 28:23-26
Listen to me; listen as I plead! Does a farmer always plow and never sow? Is he forever cultivating the soil and never planting it? Does he not finally plant his seeds…each in its own section of his land? The farmer knows just hat to do, for God gives him understanding.
This is when we turn our faith and our focus inward. If we are forever learning and building our personal relationship with God but not also pouring into others and sharing our faith then what good are we? We become the proverbial lamp hidden under the bed.
Mark 4:21
Then Jesus asked them, “Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed to shut out the light? Of course not! A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine.
We often avoid this aspect of our walk because in all fairness it is scary because we are afraid that we will be rejected or not say the right thing, but just as God gives the farmer wisdom, he is always with us and guiding us. As long as we remember this we are never alone and we cannot be brought down.
I am His! October 2, 2008
Isaiah 51:12-16
I, even I, am the one who comforts you. So why are you afraid of mere humans, who wither like the grass and disappear? Yet you have forgotten the Lord, your Creator, the one who put the stars in the sky and established the earth. Will you remain in constant dread of human oppression? Will you continue fear the anger of your enemies from morning till night? Soon all you captives will be released! Imprisonment, starvation, and death will not be your fate! For I am the Lord your God, who stirs up the sea, causing its waves to roar. My name is the Lord Almighty. And I have put my words in your mouth and hidden you safely in my hand. I set all the stars in space and established the earth. I am the one who says to Israel, “You are mine!”
How Great is Our God!
Un qué fabricante maravilloso October 2, 2008
You spread out the skies over empty space
Said, let there be light
To a dark and formless world
Your light was born
You spread out your arms over empty hearts
Said, let there be light
To a dark and hopeless world
Your son was born
You made the world and saw that it was good
You sent your only son, for you are good
What a wonderful maker
What a wonderful savior
How majestic your whispers
And how humble your love
With a strength like no other
And the heart of a father
How majestic your whispers
What a wonderful God
No eye has fully seen how beautiful the cross
And we have only heard the faintest whispers
Of how great you are
– Jeremy Camp
Who is God to me? September 30, 2008
Guardian Isaiah 27:3-4
Cornerstone Isaiah 28:16
Perfect planner Ephesians 3:14-21
Forever faithful 2 Timothy 2:11-13
Funny & Ironic 1 Corinthians 1:27-29
Powerful love 1 Corinthians 13
Redeemer 1 Corinthians 15:10
Champion Isaiah 51:12-16
Mercy & Grace Titus 3:4-7
Lover of my soul 1 Peter 3:3-5
Pacient Isaiah 53:6
Provider 1 Chronicles 29:11-12
Glorious creator Psalm 19:1-4; Romans 1:20
Truth Romans 3:4
Sacrifice Isaiah 53:5
Hope & Future Jeremiah 29:11-13
Unstoppable Acts 5:35-39
Restoration September 27, 2008
Last year in Bible study, Laurie, one of my Bible study leaders, told us this story.
Her pastor asked: “why do people fall asleep when they read their Bibles?” Most responses were because it is boring but he disagreed with that because of this verse:
Psalm 23 A psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.
2 He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.
3 He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.
4 Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me
5 You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.
6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.
How do we restore our strength? By resting and sleeping, the pastor explained that God uses his words to relax us and restore us. God knows exactly what we need and he is willing to do whatever it takes to give us that. Whether it is sleeping or reading his word, he always refills us in just the right way.
Sometimes we get so carried away in our everyday lives that we run our selves down and forget how important it is to daily meet with God. It isn’t a mood or a scheduling issue, it’s a choice. Some days it is easy for us to run to God because things are hard or confusing. But other times we are just too busy, or so we think. We ultimately choose with whom and with which activities we fill our time with and it’s the same way with God. We have to choose to listen, or talk to him or read, whether or not we feel like it. God will show up for you if you are willing to give him even the smallest part of your day, I have to choose daily to give God control and recognize that his plan for my life is WAY better than anything I could ever dream of. Some days (most) I don’t feel like doing that…I argue with him and try to negotiate with him, telling him, well if I give you this part then will you give me that other thing? But it doesn’t work that way. We have to take time out of our daily lives to make time for God. When we stop doing it our lives start to fall apart…taking time with God wont make everything wonderful as far as our situations but it will make a difference in how we respond to it and feel about our lives…
Ecclesiastes 7:13
Do not question the way God does things for who can straighten what he has made crooked.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do and he will direct your path.
Faithfulness, his enduring faithfulness September 26, 2008
1 Corinthians 1:9
God will surely do this for you, for he always does just what He says, and he is the on who invited you into this wonderful friendship with his son, Jesus.
I love this verse because it is our reassurance that God is faithful and that we are in this relationship with him because he chose us not because we are we are fabulous or deserve it but simply because he loves us and wants to get to know us. And it’s not only a relationship but specifically a friendship, its a two way thing. We can’t just live our lives however we want to and expect God to do his stuff…We have to put forth some effort as well, we cant just say we are Christians and not live it as well. Being a true Christian is more than just claiming the title, its gaining the title in exchange for giving our lives completely to God, allowing him to do what he said he would do, even if it is painful or hard at the time.
I am struggling right now with planning my life the way that I see it and want it to be but if I would just step back and let God have control he could create something so much greater than my finite imagination could ever come up with…I don’t mean to, it just happens and obviously it’s something that i need to work on. I need to give God my life totally so that he can help me work on the things that are wrong in my life…Last night at Cru (Campus Crusades for Christ) the speaker compared the picture of our lives to that of a picture drawn by a two year old. As an observer to this picture we have no idea what it is acutally representing unless we go to the artist or “author” of the picture. Once asked, the child will be able to describe with vivid accuracy exactly what is in the picture and what each seemingly meaningless squiggly line is there for. It is the same way with our lives and the picture that God has drawn for each of us. We will never know what our picture is telling us unless we go to the author and crator, who like that child can tell us exactly what we are made for, how to get to that point where we are fulfilling our purpose and how to enjoy each step and adventure.
2 Timothy 2:11- 13
This is a true saying:
If we die with him, we will also live with him.
If we endure hardship, we will reign with him.
If we deny him, he will deny us.
If we are unfaithful, he REMAINS faithful, for he cannot deny himself.
Sincere September 24, 2008
I actually found this on someone elses page and thought that is was kinda cool.
The word sincere comes from the Latin word sine cera, which means “without wax.” The phrase comes from a practice where people would hide the cracks in cheap pottery with wax in order to pass the pottery off as being worth more than it actually was. Quality products were often stamped with the words sine cera to show it had not been doctored, that is was in fact authentic.
