Someone once told me, "If you want to know how a person is doing spiritually, listen to them pray." I never thought much of it until recently, when I really thought about my prayers. I feel like many of my prayers are lacking faith. I pray for things to happen with the expectation that they won't happen. Here's a tangible example: I've been praying that my friend may find her way back to Christ. I've been praying it for so long and have seen so little results that in my heart, I'm praying it just for the sake of praying it. My view of God's sovereignty has greatly diminished and it's been showing in the heart of my prayers.
Gone are also the bold prayer, the ones that I lift up to God because as impossible as they seem, I KNOW that He can answer them because He is God. With a God as powerful as ours, we can pray bold. My prayers have been anything but bold lately. Mundane, typical, cliche...and there's nothing wrong with a "boring" prayer but I feel like my lack of bold prayer is also a reflection of where my faith is at.
Genesis 1:3
And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.
Does anyone find that crazy? Everything in existence, the sun, the moon, the stars, the sky, the waters, the plants, the animals, the chemistry and physics behind it all, the mountain ranges...all of those things were merely spoken into existence with a few sentences! Our God is a powerful God. If God can do all of that with a few sentences, imagine what He can do in your life by merely speaking a few words. I first heard this at a summer camp that I was at and it completely revolutionized my faith. I am thankful that I was reminded of this tonight.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Thanksgiving (Spiritual) Break
It's odd. This week more than any other week of the year, we are called to give thanks to the Lord for all that He has given us. Unfortunately, the exact opposite happened. The second I left Purdue, my mentality shifted from doing my all to praise and thank my Lord and Savior to "me" time. I used the time to relax, unwind, and escape the reality of upcoming finals. Through it all, I neglected to spend time with the God that loves me.
While I took a break, God did not. I am grateful for that. If this was not the case, the past week of my life could be summed up by the following word: useless. The Lord sought me in my apathy and ineptitude and continued to make His presence known in my heart. Through the conversations with my friends, it was apparent how much God has been working in their lives. There was an overwhelming theme in many of the conversations: our unworthiness covered by God's grace. He used the least likely of situations, Black Friday shopping.. a time filled with materialism and greed, to remind me that the world seeks and desires foolishness. He used a dear friend of mine who is moving on to the next stage of his life to encourage me, give me words of wisdom, and to remind me to praise God for the little things that we take for granted. Through our conversation, I was also reminded that it's foolish to praise the gift and neglect the giver. I am so ungrateful and yet God is still so faithful.
While I did not desire to eat spiritual food on my own, I was spoon fed. It's time to get back on track and to really focus on what matters: serving the God that I love.
While I took a break, God did not. I am grateful for that. If this was not the case, the past week of my life could be summed up by the following word: useless. The Lord sought me in my apathy and ineptitude and continued to make His presence known in my heart. Through the conversations with my friends, it was apparent how much God has been working in their lives. There was an overwhelming theme in many of the conversations: our unworthiness covered by God's grace. He used the least likely of situations, Black Friday shopping.. a time filled with materialism and greed, to remind me that the world seeks and desires foolishness. He used a dear friend of mine who is moving on to the next stage of his life to encourage me, give me words of wisdom, and to remind me to praise God for the little things that we take for granted. Through our conversation, I was also reminded that it's foolish to praise the gift and neglect the giver. I am so ungrateful and yet God is still so faithful.
While I did not desire to eat spiritual food on my own, I was spoon fed. It's time to get back on track and to really focus on what matters: serving the God that I love.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Redemption
2 Samuel 14
In 2 Samuel 13, Amnon, David's son, rapes Tamar, Absalom's sister. Out of revenge and spite, Absalom kills Amnon and then flees from the wrath of King David. In chapter 14, we read about the road to reconciliation between the two.
After the death of Amnon, David set his sights upon Absalom's death. Joab sent a woman to present the king with a story of which parallels David's current situation and essentially rebukes King David in his actions.
2 Samuel 14:14 "Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But God does not take away life; instead he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him."
This passage really stuck out to me. In the context of the story, this deals with King David allowing Absalom to return to Jerusalem. However, it applies to our situation as well. Like water spilled on the ground, we are useless and hopeless. We serve no purpose and cannot be saved. But the Lord is gracious. He saw that and made a way for us when there was no way! That way was at His own expense as God sent Jesus to the cross. Our God loves us, useless things, that much.
As the end of 2 Samuel 14, Absalom asks to see David and says "If I am guilty of anything, let him put me to death." Clearly, Absalom was guilty of murdering his half brother and David's son, Amnon. When David saw him, he responded by kissing Absalom. That is very gracious and loving but I cannot help but be surprised by this. Either David is a saint or extremely foolish.
In 2 Samuel 13, Amnon, David's son, rapes Tamar, Absalom's sister. Out of revenge and spite, Absalom kills Amnon and then flees from the wrath of King David. In chapter 14, we read about the road to reconciliation between the two.
After the death of Amnon, David set his sights upon Absalom's death. Joab sent a woman to present the king with a story of which parallels David's current situation and essentially rebukes King David in his actions.
2 Samuel 14:14 "Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But God does not take away life; instead he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him."
This passage really stuck out to me. In the context of the story, this deals with King David allowing Absalom to return to Jerusalem. However, it applies to our situation as well. Like water spilled on the ground, we are useless and hopeless. We serve no purpose and cannot be saved. But the Lord is gracious. He saw that and made a way for us when there was no way! That way was at His own expense as God sent Jesus to the cross. Our God loves us, useless things, that much.
As the end of 2 Samuel 14, Absalom asks to see David and says "If I am guilty of anything, let him put me to death." Clearly, Absalom was guilty of murdering his half brother and David's son, Amnon. When David saw him, he responded by kissing Absalom. That is very gracious and loving but I cannot help but be surprised by this. Either David is a saint or extremely foolish.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Proverbs 16:9
In his heart a man plans his course,
but the LORD determines his steps.
We can plan ahead for the future as much as we want to. All of that is meaningless, however. The Lord is the one that determines where we go, what we do, and who we are. The thought of this can be quite scary. Being denied our desires isn't necessarily a fun thing. However, we ought to remember who God is in times like that. When God leads you in a different direction, have faith! Give thanks to the Lord for He is good! His love endures forever.
In his heart a man plans his course,
but the LORD determines his steps.
We can plan ahead for the future as much as we want to. All of that is meaningless, however. The Lord is the one that determines where we go, what we do, and who we are. The thought of this can be quite scary. Being denied our desires isn't necessarily a fun thing. However, we ought to remember who God is in times like that. When God leads you in a different direction, have faith! Give thanks to the Lord for He is good! His love endures forever.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Diarrhea of the Heart
Taking a break from 2 Samuel today. I've been reading this book and one of the verses caught my eye today.
Luke 6:43-45
"No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."
What does this mean for us? All the jokes, sassy sarcasm, inappropriate comments...none of those things are coming from our mouths. They are a reflection of what is in our hearts! Our mouth is merely an extension of our heart, verbalizing its desires and thoughts. Instead of telling our brothers and sisters to watch their mouths, we should be telling them to watch their hearts.
If anything, this reveals a certain level of impurity that is in our hearts that is often overlooked. Inappropriate jokes are passed off as "boys being boys". Gossip is passed off as "girls being girls", neither of which is the behavior that God demands from us. We need to examine our hearts so that words contrary to that which glorifies God do not overflow from our heart out of our mouths.
Part of the problem is the amount of junk that we fill in our hearts. Instead, we ought to fill our hearts with God's word, that we may know it, believe it, and live it. If God is truly on our hearts, shouldn't our words be filled with Him?
We really need to watch what we say. The mouth shows what's on your heart.
James 3:9-12
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
Luke 6:43-45
"No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."
What does this mean for us? All the jokes, sassy sarcasm, inappropriate comments...none of those things are coming from our mouths. They are a reflection of what is in our hearts! Our mouth is merely an extension of our heart, verbalizing its desires and thoughts. Instead of telling our brothers and sisters to watch their mouths, we should be telling them to watch their hearts.
If anything, this reveals a certain level of impurity that is in our hearts that is often overlooked. Inappropriate jokes are passed off as "boys being boys". Gossip is passed off as "girls being girls", neither of which is the behavior that God demands from us. We need to examine our hearts so that words contrary to that which glorifies God do not overflow from our heart out of our mouths.
Part of the problem is the amount of junk that we fill in our hearts. Instead, we ought to fill our hearts with God's word, that we may know it, believe it, and live it. If God is truly on our hearts, shouldn't our words be filled with Him?
We really need to watch what we say. The mouth shows what's on your heart.
James 3:9-12
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
2 Samuel 13
Man, kinda a crazy chapter to read today. 2 Samuel 13...pretty much the type of stuff that you see on a soap opera. Amnon, David's son, falls in love with his half sister Tamar and devises a plan to sleep with her. Long story short, he things he's in love but is actually lusting and ends up raping her. Not a pleasant story. My study bible did an interesting comparison of love vs lust in this given situation...
Love is patient; lust requires immediate attention.
Love is kind; lust is harsh
Love does not demand its own way; lust does
Love can wait; lust cannot
If ever you're in a situation where you think you might be in love with someone, test yourself with what the bible says love is.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
Now for the self examination: In what areas of this do I struggle? If a relationship were to come knocking on my door, would I be able to display all of these things? When I interact with people on a daily basis, are these traits evident in my life?
Love is patient; lust requires immediate attention.
Love is kind; lust is harsh
Love does not demand its own way; lust does
Love can wait; lust cannot
If ever you're in a situation where you think you might be in love with someone, test yourself with what the bible says love is.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
Now for the self examination: In what areas of this do I struggle? If a relationship were to come knocking on my door, would I be able to display all of these things? When I interact with people on a daily basis, are these traits evident in my life?
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Cost-Benefit Analysis and Christianity
For those of my friends that read this blog and went to Teen Camp 2007, this will sound very familiar. It is something that the Lord placed on my heart.
Today during prayer meeting, Hannah talked about the story of Jesus and the rich young man (Matt. 19:16-30). Jesus asks the young man to sell everything he has to follow him and at that, the man's heart breaks. In worldly terms, he was wealthy and rich. His response to Jesus's request (which is actually more of a demand) shows where his heart is: money. Quite often, we find ourselves in the position of the young man, at a crossroad. Through personal convictions and biblical truths, we are often called to give up things that we treasure. For some, it means indulging in less material goods. For others, it means straying away from the party scene. Or maybe it's something else. Maybe you got into your dream college but you feel that God is calling you to go elsewhere. Regardless of what it is, it is often something that we hold in high regard but are unwilling to give up because our hearts desire is contrary to the will of God.
So now bring in cost-benefit analysis. In economics, we learn that if the benefit of an action outweighs the cost, we should proceed. If the cost is greater than the benefit, we should cease. So then, what does this mean for Christianity? The cost of following Jesus is not a light one. In fact, the cost of following Jesus is EVERYTHING. We give up our rights, desires, and lives. Seems pretty extreme, huh? But what is the benefit? The benefit is everything that Jesus has to offer: a personal relationship with Him and eternal life with Him! The benefit of obeying God (glorifying Him through our actions) is so much greater than the cost!
Lately, this is something that I've been wrestling with. Even before I found myself cracking under the pressure of an intense course load, I was debating changing my major. Don't get me wrong. I love pharmacy and everything that it has to offer. I believe that it is a very rewarding career and is beneficial to the community. Since summer, I've felt a slight tug on my heart to go into education. This whole time, I've been wrestling with the idea. I like pharmacy. I don't like attitude from teenagers. Both require about the same amount of schooling. I've already committed to a pre-pharmacy tract and switching majors would require extra school for a bachelor's degree. The opportunity cost of taking a job in education as opposed to pharmacy is nearly $40,000 for the first year. More than anything, this is what I was caught up on. God's telling me to switch from a major that I like, pays better, and has 6 years of schooling to a job that I may quite possibly hate, pays lower, and also has 6 years of schooling? GET OUTTA HERE! And then today, I was reminded of the actual perspective of the cost benefit formula.
Following my heart
Cost: Disobeying God, living in His disapproval
Benefit: Temporary happiness, self glorification, an extra $40k a year
Following God
Cost: A career in pharmacy, $40,000 a year
Benefit: Glory to God, eternal treasures
So I can keep my $40,000 a year and live in my own little world of gratification or lose the $40,000 and know that I am honoring God through my actions. There is nothing greater than honoring our God. Nothing. The cost of following Jesus is our lives. The benefit is so much greater. With that said, I am still praying about this decision but I feel like it is not only imminent, but nearly decided.
Today during prayer meeting, Hannah talked about the story of Jesus and the rich young man (Matt. 19:16-30). Jesus asks the young man to sell everything he has to follow him and at that, the man's heart breaks. In worldly terms, he was wealthy and rich. His response to Jesus's request (which is actually more of a demand) shows where his heart is: money. Quite often, we find ourselves in the position of the young man, at a crossroad. Through personal convictions and biblical truths, we are often called to give up things that we treasure. For some, it means indulging in less material goods. For others, it means straying away from the party scene. Or maybe it's something else. Maybe you got into your dream college but you feel that God is calling you to go elsewhere. Regardless of what it is, it is often something that we hold in high regard but are unwilling to give up because our hearts desire is contrary to the will of God.
So now bring in cost-benefit analysis. In economics, we learn that if the benefit of an action outweighs the cost, we should proceed. If the cost is greater than the benefit, we should cease. So then, what does this mean for Christianity? The cost of following Jesus is not a light one. In fact, the cost of following Jesus is EVERYTHING. We give up our rights, desires, and lives. Seems pretty extreme, huh? But what is the benefit? The benefit is everything that Jesus has to offer: a personal relationship with Him and eternal life with Him! The benefit of obeying God (glorifying Him through our actions) is so much greater than the cost!
Lately, this is something that I've been wrestling with. Even before I found myself cracking under the pressure of an intense course load, I was debating changing my major. Don't get me wrong. I love pharmacy and everything that it has to offer. I believe that it is a very rewarding career and is beneficial to the community. Since summer, I've felt a slight tug on my heart to go into education. This whole time, I've been wrestling with the idea. I like pharmacy. I don't like attitude from teenagers. Both require about the same amount of schooling. I've already committed to a pre-pharmacy tract and switching majors would require extra school for a bachelor's degree. The opportunity cost of taking a job in education as opposed to pharmacy is nearly $40,000 for the first year. More than anything, this is what I was caught up on. God's telling me to switch from a major that I like, pays better, and has 6 years of schooling to a job that I may quite possibly hate, pays lower, and also has 6 years of schooling? GET OUTTA HERE! And then today, I was reminded of the actual perspective of the cost benefit formula.
Following my heart
Cost: Disobeying God, living in His disapproval
Benefit: Temporary happiness, self glorification, an extra $40k a year
Following God
Cost: A career in pharmacy, $40,000 a year
Benefit: Glory to God, eternal treasures
So I can keep my $40,000 a year and live in my own little world of gratification or lose the $40,000 and know that I am honoring God through my actions. There is nothing greater than honoring our God. Nothing. The cost of following Jesus is our lives. The benefit is so much greater. With that said, I am still praying about this decision but I feel like it is not only imminent, but nearly decided.
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