Sunday, November 8, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Seeing God Through the Smoke of It All
Man, I must be taking stupid pills or something. This story might actually come off as quite comical as I'm having a good laugh looking back. I had a hard time sleeping last night so I googled my symptoms...
Fatigue
Coughing
Mucus
Abdominal Pain
Pretty common symptoms that shouldn't really give anyone a big scare. It was 4 AM and I couldn't sleep so I kept looking. I stumbled upon an unpleasant sight. Cancer had all of those symptoms. Stupid me ignored the fact that I don't have the major symptoms like a tumor and a expulsion of blood. I pretty much scared myself to sleep.
All the time, I realized that if I I did have cancer, I'd have to tell my parents. My heart immediately broke. My biggest fear in life is hurting those that I love. I don't think that I'd have the heart to be the bearer of bad news in a situation like this. I know my parents would grieve over it. Fortunately, I just have acute bronchitis which also has the exact same symptoms. (Accessibility to online resources is a useful tool but can be a dangerous thing when put in the hands of a fool...like me)
While I was pondering this, it hit me. How did God feel when Jesus was put to the cross? I know that my parents would grieve endlessly if something happened to me. I would venture to say that God grieved as nails were driven though His son's hands. He probably wept as His son was mocked, beaten, and tortured. Being God, He could have stopped this at anytime but He didn't. That's how much He loves us! He went through all of that pain...just for you and me. To think, someone so powerful and so mighty would willingly endure such great agony because of His love for us. Such a great and undeserved love that is!
I've been praying that God would restore the joy of salvation upon my heart. I think my prayers have been answered.
Fatigue
Coughing
Mucus
Abdominal Pain
Pretty common symptoms that shouldn't really give anyone a big scare. It was 4 AM and I couldn't sleep so I kept looking. I stumbled upon an unpleasant sight. Cancer had all of those symptoms. Stupid me ignored the fact that I don't have the major symptoms like a tumor and a expulsion of blood. I pretty much scared myself to sleep.
All the time, I realized that if I I did have cancer, I'd have to tell my parents. My heart immediately broke. My biggest fear in life is hurting those that I love. I don't think that I'd have the heart to be the bearer of bad news in a situation like this. I know my parents would grieve over it. Fortunately, I just have acute bronchitis which also has the exact same symptoms. (Accessibility to online resources is a useful tool but can be a dangerous thing when put in the hands of a fool...like me)
While I was pondering this, it hit me. How did God feel when Jesus was put to the cross? I know that my parents would grieve endlessly if something happened to me. I would venture to say that God grieved as nails were driven though His son's hands. He probably wept as His son was mocked, beaten, and tortured. Being God, He could have stopped this at anytime but He didn't. That's how much He loves us! He went through all of that pain...just for you and me. To think, someone so powerful and so mighty would willingly endure such great agony because of His love for us. Such a great and undeserved love that is!
I've been praying that God would restore the joy of salvation upon my heart. I think my prayers have been answered.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Credibility
While I'm all sick and focused on medical issues, I'll stick with medical analogies. Suppose you were waiting for a heart transplant. You're extremely nervous and you express this to the doctor. The doctor replies "Hey man, don't worry! This is actually my first one so I'm really nervous too!" I think it's pretty safe to say that you would freak out and probably pass out at the thought of this guy 'practicing' on you. He may be a surgeon and has already made it through medical school but he lacks the one thing that you can't teach, inexperience.
Now suppose you were receiving a heart transplant and your surgeon was one of the most renowned in the nation. Now assume that this guy told you not to worry. Those words mean a lot more coming from a guy that knows what He's doing.
Psalm 46:10
"Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."
I've read this verse and I took it as "Relax, I'm God. You have no reason to worry." A few days ago, I began to connect this with who God is. How comforting a thought! There's so much credibility behind this statement due to the character of God. God, the one who is sovereign over all things, the one that created all things and knows all this, is telling you not to worry! Knowing about God's character makes trusting Him that much easier.
As I learn more about who God is, my eyes are being opened to new truths. I need to continue to seek who He is and His heart. I've been a Christian my entire life but the more God reveals to me about His character, the more I begin to see things in a new light.
Now suppose you were receiving a heart transplant and your surgeon was one of the most renowned in the nation. Now assume that this guy told you not to worry. Those words mean a lot more coming from a guy that knows what He's doing.
Psalm 46:10
"Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."
I've read this verse and I took it as "Relax, I'm God. You have no reason to worry." A few days ago, I began to connect this with who God is. How comforting a thought! There's so much credibility behind this statement due to the character of God. God, the one who is sovereign over all things, the one that created all things and knows all this, is telling you not to worry! Knowing about God's character makes trusting Him that much easier.
As I learn more about who God is, my eyes are being opened to new truths. I need to continue to seek who He is and His heart. I've been a Christian my entire life but the more God reveals to me about His character, the more I begin to see things in a new light.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
In my physical sickness, I have been blinded. Lately, a couple things have been on my mind.
1) What's wrong with me and why am I always so stinking tired?
2) What can I do that will make me get better?
I've been so focused on these questions and have been searching for answers. I've tried google, taking general medications, and finally calling PUSH today. In my time of need, I've been seeking all of these things of man. Now, there's nothing wrong with going to a doctor for help when you're sick because God has blessed us with modern science and medicine. However, my biggest problem is that my physical weakness has caused a great deal of apathy in my spiritual life as well. What a poor attitude to have, that my sickness is more important than spending time with my Lord and Savior.
I opened my Bible to Psalm 146 today and it walked about finding help in God vs finding help in people. People may be able to help us in the here and now but eternally, our help comes from God. Nothing should overshadow this. It is our God that delivers, our God that saves. It is our God that cares about our well-being and watches over us. In all things, we should turn to Him and look to Him for strength, wisdom, and guidance.
1) What's wrong with me and why am I always so stinking tired?
2) What can I do that will make me get better?
I've been so focused on these questions and have been searching for answers. I've tried google, taking general medications, and finally calling PUSH today. In my time of need, I've been seeking all of these things of man. Now, there's nothing wrong with going to a doctor for help when you're sick because God has blessed us with modern science and medicine. However, my biggest problem is that my physical weakness has caused a great deal of apathy in my spiritual life as well. What a poor attitude to have, that my sickness is more important than spending time with my Lord and Savior.
I opened my Bible to Psalm 146 today and it walked about finding help in God vs finding help in people. People may be able to help us in the here and now but eternally, our help comes from God. Nothing should overshadow this. It is our God that delivers, our God that saves. It is our God that cares about our well-being and watches over us. In all things, we should turn to Him and look to Him for strength, wisdom, and guidance.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Fatigued
My physical and mental fatigue are both beginning to catch up to me. Before last week, I didn't miss any of my classes. These last two weeks, I've missed six total. There seem to be permanent bags under my eyes that won't go away no matter how much I sleep. Each morning, I wake up feeling nearly as exhausted as when I went to sleep the night before. Through it all, although my flesh and my mind are failing, God has not failed.
Even today, I woke up at 1 PM exhausted. I went to the library and felt like passing out the entire time but continued to study for physics exam. As I got to the exam room, I felt like I was about to drop, and yet I didn't. God provided much needed strength and I praise and thank Him for doing so.
Spiritually, it's been a rocky few weeks. By God's grace, I am clinging to the Rock that I know to be tried and true. I feel like there are storms all around me but above the storms and thunderous clouds, there is hope. No matter what I'm going through, God is still good and continually provides even though I don't deserve it. In my unfaithfulness, God is still faithful!
Psalm 107:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Even today, I woke up at 1 PM exhausted. I went to the library and felt like passing out the entire time but continued to study for physics exam. As I got to the exam room, I felt like I was about to drop, and yet I didn't. God provided much needed strength and I praise and thank Him for doing so.
Spiritually, it's been a rocky few weeks. By God's grace, I am clinging to the Rock that I know to be tried and true. I feel like there are storms all around me but above the storms and thunderous clouds, there is hope. No matter what I'm going through, God is still good and continually provides even though I don't deserve it. In my unfaithfulness, God is still faithful!
Psalm 107:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
A Discombobulated Symphony of Thoughts
I wouldn't call myself an emo person but lately, it's seemed like that. Pre-pharmacy is kicking my butt and it just won't stop. As soon as I can catch my breath, there's another wave of exams, lab reports, and projects right in my face again. I finally thought I had the hang of everything and then I got sick. I'm behind in pretty much all of my classes and I have an exam tomorrow night. Mental and physical exhaustion do not make a good combination.
I studied most of the day for my physics exam but that was the extend of my studying. Instead of studying and working hard trying to catch up in my other classes, I decided to sit in my room in front of my computer and just take it all in. After sitting and thinking, I found that I wanted to quit this pre-pharmacy stuff, change my major, and get out of Purdue as soon as possible. Pretty extreme, isn't it? That was my Sunday night...until about thirty minutes ago.
A friend of mine (of whom probably got sick of hearing me babble and sounding all "woe is me") shared a story with me. She shared a story about how a girl from our church and a handful of other individuals were in a car crash last night. She proceeded to make the story very dramatic, detailing the events. In my head, I was thinking "Man, I'm already in a bad mood, why are you telling me this?" And then she got to the punch like: A car accident in which the car rolled over 5 times and landed in a swamp...and everyone was okay. A sense of relief swept over my body. Praise God for his protection in this situation. Our momentary troubles are so small relative to what other people are going through. The sum of all of our troubles are nothing when compared to the glory of our God. We have an AWESOME God. When we lose sight of this, we often find ourselves stumbling, gasping for life.
In the short time of one day, I've managed to change my focus from God to my own problems. Instead of living for God's kingdom and what's eternal, I fixed my eyes upon what is temporary, tangible, and right in my face at the moment. I lost sight of all that God is and everything that He desires for me. I sat here looking at my problems and letting them completely overcome my desire to do anything. But the Lord used everything, my situation, my conversation with my friend, and the strange timing of a the lyrics in a few songs to really speak to my heart. What seemed to be a lost night became such a blessing.
Praise the Lord for He is good!
I studied most of the day for my physics exam but that was the extend of my studying. Instead of studying and working hard trying to catch up in my other classes, I decided to sit in my room in front of my computer and just take it all in. After sitting and thinking, I found that I wanted to quit this pre-pharmacy stuff, change my major, and get out of Purdue as soon as possible. Pretty extreme, isn't it? That was my Sunday night...until about thirty minutes ago.
A friend of mine (of whom probably got sick of hearing me babble and sounding all "woe is me") shared a story with me. She shared a story about how a girl from our church and a handful of other individuals were in a car crash last night. She proceeded to make the story very dramatic, detailing the events. In my head, I was thinking "Man, I'm already in a bad mood, why are you telling me this?" And then she got to the punch like: A car accident in which the car rolled over 5 times and landed in a swamp...and everyone was okay. A sense of relief swept over my body. Praise God for his protection in this situation. Our momentary troubles are so small relative to what other people are going through. The sum of all of our troubles are nothing when compared to the glory of our God. We have an AWESOME God. When we lose sight of this, we often find ourselves stumbling, gasping for life.
In the short time of one day, I've managed to change my focus from God to my own problems. Instead of living for God's kingdom and what's eternal, I fixed my eyes upon what is temporary, tangible, and right in my face at the moment. I lost sight of all that God is and everything that He desires for me. I sat here looking at my problems and letting them completely overcome my desire to do anything. But the Lord used everything, my situation, my conversation with my friend, and the strange timing of a the lyrics in a few songs to really speak to my heart. What seemed to be a lost night became such a blessing.
Praise the Lord for He is good!
2 Samuel 6:1-21
A few things stood out to my in this section, both quite common stories within the church. The first of which was the Lord's wrath against Uzzah, the man that touched the Ark with his bare hands. As the Ark was falling, Uzzah reached out to save the Ark but disobeyed God's command by touching it. The Lord sent his wrath and killed Uzzah for his disobedience. Is that fair? The man only wanted to do something good. I think the message is very clear in this situation, however. A lot of the time, we have good intentions and may think that we are doing good things. God doesn't care about intent. He cares about our obedience and observance to His word.
Once the Ark finally returned to Israel, King David celebrated by dancing. His own wife saw this as foolishness: he king of Israel leaping and dancing over some Ark. When confronted with the idea, David did not care. His joy and relationship with the Lord could not be squelched, even by his own wife. He didn't care about her approval or her thoughts because his heart was with God. We ought to live as David did, not for the approval of others but for the Lord's approval. Live for an audience of one.
A few things stood out to my in this section, both quite common stories within the church. The first of which was the Lord's wrath against Uzzah, the man that touched the Ark with his bare hands. As the Ark was falling, Uzzah reached out to save the Ark but disobeyed God's command by touching it. The Lord sent his wrath and killed Uzzah for his disobedience. Is that fair? The man only wanted to do something good. I think the message is very clear in this situation, however. A lot of the time, we have good intentions and may think that we are doing good things. God doesn't care about intent. He cares about our obedience and observance to His word.
Once the Ark finally returned to Israel, King David celebrated by dancing. His own wife saw this as foolishness: he king of Israel leaping and dancing over some Ark. When confronted with the idea, David did not care. His joy and relationship with the Lord could not be squelched, even by his own wife. He didn't care about her approval or her thoughts because his heart was with God. We ought to live as David did, not for the approval of others but for the Lord's approval. Live for an audience of one.
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