Hello there,
Change of pace for today.. You know what's great about being in a relationship with someone? Besides the basic facts of not being alone, having your best friend always with you and all that? It's the little inside couple jokes that occur. I just think being able to share a private laugh with someone you love is so nice; it bonds you together.
It's interesting to study different couples sometimes. At least I think it is but then again, I write stories a lot so it gives me character insight. Anyways, everyone is unique and relates differently. It seems that each couple has something special between them. Some couples have their own song to their relationship- we do, most all have inside jokes, some have special places to visit or meaningful times of the year. Building the what's unique is one of the fun parts of having a relationship.
As I've mentioned lots of time before, it makes me sad that society has relationships so wrong- dating and sex, then marriage and then kids maybe, sometimes they come before. It's so sad because it's so wrong but sometimes that's hard to explain, especially when someone doesn't believe in the Bible. After all, people who have those types of relationships still experience love but I don't think they receive God's blessing or approval. And it's hard to describe to someone who lives like that how God's blessing could change their life and relationship, especially if their blind to the fact of their own sin. That road is tempting for so many people. It's made out to be okay and good so much but I just can't stress how wrong it is. I've rather gone off on a total tangent here but this just bothers me. What do you say to your friends living like that when they come to you for advice or want to talk about their relationship, perhaps praising everything that's good about it? Kind of an awkward situation really because you know the truth and perhaps they don't or maybe deep inside they do but choose to ignore it. Especially when you know that by repenting, turning to God and changing their lifestyle, their relationships would be even better?
Anyway, I've kinda just randomly rambled but I guess that's okay in a blog. Just some of my thoughts really. How about you? What are your thoughts on such things?
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Doubt that Kills
Hey Girls,
Do you want to have more faith? Stronger faith in God? I sure do. Having faith in God is so important to- to everything!
Yet many of us have this little nasty issue called doubt. The Bible talks about doubt in Isaiah 40:27-28 "O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles? O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights? Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding." Oh but that's not all, in James 1:5-7 it says "If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord."
Ok, to sum up those two verses, we know that God is everlasting and always sees our troubles. He will also be faithful to give what we ask when our faith is in him alone otherwise if we doubt him, we should expect nothing from our petitions. After all, remember those numerous verses about asking requests of God? 1 John 5:12-14 tells us clearly "My purpose in writing is simply this: that you who believe in God's Son will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life, the reality and not the illusion. And how bold and free we then become in his presence, freely asking according to his will, sure that he's listening. And if we're confident that he's listening, we know that what we've asked for is as good as ours."
Want another great example of what it means to have faith? Remember Abraham and Sarah? Romans 4:18-20 says "We call Abraham "father" not because he got God's attention by living like a saint, but because God made something out of Abraham when he was a nobody. Isn't that what we've always read in Scripture, God saying to Abraham, "I set you up as father of many peoples"? Abraham was first named "father" and then became a father because he dared to trust God to do what only God could do: raise the dead to life, with a word make something out of nothing. When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn't do but on what God said he would do. And so he was made father of a multitude of peoples. God himself said to him, "You're going to have a big family, Abraham!" Abraham didn't focus on his own impotence and say, "It's hopeless. This hundred-year-old body could never father a child." Nor did he survey Sarah's decades of infertility and give up. He didn't tiptoe around God's promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he had said. That's why it is said, "Abraham was declared fit before God by trusting God to set him right." But it's not just Abraham; it's also us! The same thing gets said about us when we embrace and believe the One who brought Jesus to life when the conditions were equally hopeless. The sacrificed Jesus made us fit for God, set us right with God."
Okay that's really long- I know but I just really liked how the message version said it. It's clear enough that I don't need to comment on it.
Well, all these verses just prove to us the importance of having unwavering faith. It's hard though isn't it? And sometimes it's hard to recognize doubt too. Doubt can creep in so quietly and then slowly eat away and destroy our faith- it's like a weed. For example, imagine someone whose finances are really tight on a regular basis but a whole bunch of bills, like license plate renewals, just came up so fast and she didn't have the funds yet. So she prays and she prays but then goes out and gets a second job to make ends meet. Ok- now I'm not saying it's bad to work more but I'm using this example because it shows a woman acting on her own initiative. She got the second job but God didn't tell her too. Sometimes, even though we pray for something, we end up acting in our own self interest to take care of that request on our own without even giving God the opportunity to do something. Perhaps we're on a time crunch sometimes and we think waiting on God just won't pan out because he just may not come through on time. Well, reality check. God's timing is not our timing! He knows what's best above all! So if we are really going to trust in him for everything, than we have to actually trust!
If you believe in God as a loving Father, that he will take care of you, than don't doubt that he will. We don't need to scramble to help ourselves. God knows what we need. When we ask for something, let's not doubt him. He's God after all. Doubt can destroy our faith, destroy our lives, our relationships, our jobs- anything if we let it. When you start to second guess God, you're letting doubt in, you're taking the control back, and you're killing your faith.
We have to make the choice to believe but once we do, let's stick by it. Let's reject those doubts that say God won't come through. He will always come through in the way that's best for us even if we don't see it at the time.
So truly girls, have faith in God and what you've asked of God according to his will, believe that you've received it and that he will take care of you.
Do you want to have more faith? Stronger faith in God? I sure do. Having faith in God is so important to- to everything!
Yet many of us have this little nasty issue called doubt. The Bible talks about doubt in Isaiah 40:27-28 "O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles? O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights? Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding." Oh but that's not all, in James 1:5-7 it says "If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord."
Ok, to sum up those two verses, we know that God is everlasting and always sees our troubles. He will also be faithful to give what we ask when our faith is in him alone otherwise if we doubt him, we should expect nothing from our petitions. After all, remember those numerous verses about asking requests of God? 1 John 5:12-14 tells us clearly "My purpose in writing is simply this: that you who believe in God's Son will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life, the reality and not the illusion. And how bold and free we then become in his presence, freely asking according to his will, sure that he's listening. And if we're confident that he's listening, we know that what we've asked for is as good as ours."
Want another great example of what it means to have faith? Remember Abraham and Sarah? Romans 4:18-20 says "We call Abraham "father" not because he got God's attention by living like a saint, but because God made something out of Abraham when he was a nobody. Isn't that what we've always read in Scripture, God saying to Abraham, "I set you up as father of many peoples"? Abraham was first named "father" and then became a father because he dared to trust God to do what only God could do: raise the dead to life, with a word make something out of nothing. When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn't do but on what God said he would do. And so he was made father of a multitude of peoples. God himself said to him, "You're going to have a big family, Abraham!" Abraham didn't focus on his own impotence and say, "It's hopeless. This hundred-year-old body could never father a child." Nor did he survey Sarah's decades of infertility and give up. He didn't tiptoe around God's promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he had said. That's why it is said, "Abraham was declared fit before God by trusting God to set him right." But it's not just Abraham; it's also us! The same thing gets said about us when we embrace and believe the One who brought Jesus to life when the conditions were equally hopeless. The sacrificed Jesus made us fit for God, set us right with God."
Okay that's really long- I know but I just really liked how the message version said it. It's clear enough that I don't need to comment on it.
Well, all these verses just prove to us the importance of having unwavering faith. It's hard though isn't it? And sometimes it's hard to recognize doubt too. Doubt can creep in so quietly and then slowly eat away and destroy our faith- it's like a weed. For example, imagine someone whose finances are really tight on a regular basis but a whole bunch of bills, like license plate renewals, just came up so fast and she didn't have the funds yet. So she prays and she prays but then goes out and gets a second job to make ends meet. Ok- now I'm not saying it's bad to work more but I'm using this example because it shows a woman acting on her own initiative. She got the second job but God didn't tell her too. Sometimes, even though we pray for something, we end up acting in our own self interest to take care of that request on our own without even giving God the opportunity to do something. Perhaps we're on a time crunch sometimes and we think waiting on God just won't pan out because he just may not come through on time. Well, reality check. God's timing is not our timing! He knows what's best above all! So if we are really going to trust in him for everything, than we have to actually trust!
If you believe in God as a loving Father, that he will take care of you, than don't doubt that he will. We don't need to scramble to help ourselves. God knows what we need. When we ask for something, let's not doubt him. He's God after all. Doubt can destroy our faith, destroy our lives, our relationships, our jobs- anything if we let it. When you start to second guess God, you're letting doubt in, you're taking the control back, and you're killing your faith.
We have to make the choice to believe but once we do, let's stick by it. Let's reject those doubts that say God won't come through. He will always come through in the way that's best for us even if we don't see it at the time.
So truly girls, have faith in God and what you've asked of God according to his will, believe that you've received it and that he will take care of you.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Thankfulness
Hi Girls,
This is a reminder of thankfulness. I was thinking today that I don't say thank you to God often enough. We have so much to be thankful for and are so blessed to have him watching out for us. Even just the small things too make a big difference. For example, I'm thankful that dairy queen has buy one blizzard get a second for 25 cents- it sure made the bike trip to gan more fun! And I'm thankful that it's nice and sunny today! Think of some of the things you're thankful for.
It's good to be thankful because it makes us aware of all that we have, keeps our eyes on the positive side (rather than thinking on what we are lacking). It raises our moods and keeps our hearts more pleasant. Some days it's harder to be thankful than others, especially when everything seems to go wrong. But even on those days, and maybe your having one of them right now, at least find something to say thank you for and you'll hopefully start to feel better. At least it will bring you around to a more positive way of thinking! After all, God is always watching out for us and we can always be thankful for his love!
This is a reminder of thankfulness. I was thinking today that I don't say thank you to God often enough. We have so much to be thankful for and are so blessed to have him watching out for us. Even just the small things too make a big difference. For example, I'm thankful that dairy queen has buy one blizzard get a second for 25 cents- it sure made the bike trip to gan more fun! And I'm thankful that it's nice and sunny today! Think of some of the things you're thankful for.
It's good to be thankful because it makes us aware of all that we have, keeps our eyes on the positive side (rather than thinking on what we are lacking). It raises our moods and keeps our hearts more pleasant. Some days it's harder to be thankful than others, especially when everything seems to go wrong. But even on those days, and maybe your having one of them right now, at least find something to say thank you for and you'll hopefully start to feel better. At least it will bring you around to a more positive way of thinking! After all, God is always watching out for us and we can always be thankful for his love!
Friday, April 23, 2010
Desensitized
Hi Girls,
Ever think we'd have an easier time being childlike if we had our childlike innocents back? Probably. Parents have such a huge responsibility to shelter their children, to protect their minds. The older I get, the more aware of this I become. I used to get annoyed at my parents sheltering ways, thinking they were inhibiting me from understanding the world or just having some fun. But now that I think of it, parents do have a responsibility to shield their children while equipping them with the skills to understand and process the bad stuff that does happen in the world.
There is a song by POD I believe that mentions how we scar children with images they can't forget. Think about that for a second. Are there any things in your mind or life that haunt you? Children sometimes have terrible nightmares, brought on by things they witness during the day. Even now that we're older we can be tormented by our thoughts and dreams, fortunately, we know there is a God who conquers all of that but it makes me think that we should try to avoid from polluting our minds in the first place.
It's hard though. The process of desensitization can happen so slowly. Children can be so easily scarred by violent images or mean talk but as we get older, we almost get used to it. It doesn't bother us as badly. Sometimes people even begin to think that it's not that bad anymore. For example, think of how some little kids are so sensitive to 'bad' words and then when we get older, it's like no big deal, hear it all the time. Is that a good attitude to have? Look at how movies keep pushing the bar on violence and other sins; people want more to thrill them because they are too used to what they've seen in the past that it provides them with no sick pleasure anymore.
So what does all this mean for us? Well, I just hope that we become more aware of what we let into our minds and the thoughts we keep. After all, Philippians 4:8 tells us pretty clearly to think about "...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Let that be the rule that guides us. Just because evil is out there in the world, doesn't mean we need to concentrate on it.
Matthew 15:16-20 states "...But what comes out of the mouth gets its start in the heart. It's from the heart that we vomit up evil arguments, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, lies, and cussing. That's what pollutes."
And again in Matthew 7: 20-23, "He went on: "It's what comes out of a person that pollutes: obscenities, lusts, thefts, murders, adulteries, greed, depravity, deceptive dealings, carousing, mean looks, slander, arrogance, foolishness—all these are vomit from the heart. There is the source of your pollution."
Pretty serious stuff eh? We pollute ourselves by what we allow into our hearts. So we need to protect our minds from effecting the way we feel in our hearts. It's all about keeping ourselves pure and honourable to God. Life becomes so much more free and enjoyable when we don't have disturbing feelings tagging along with us. And we don't want to lead ourselves into sin either.
So I think it's time we allow ourselves to be sensitive again. To see things as they really are and understand how God sees it. When we ask God to allow us to look at the world through his eyes, everything becomes a whole lot clearer than before. We see it as it really is, as the truth. And then we can see God's love and heart for changing the world.
Ever think we'd have an easier time being childlike if we had our childlike innocents back? Probably. Parents have such a huge responsibility to shelter their children, to protect their minds. The older I get, the more aware of this I become. I used to get annoyed at my parents sheltering ways, thinking they were inhibiting me from understanding the world or just having some fun. But now that I think of it, parents do have a responsibility to shield their children while equipping them with the skills to understand and process the bad stuff that does happen in the world.
There is a song by POD I believe that mentions how we scar children with images they can't forget. Think about that for a second. Are there any things in your mind or life that haunt you? Children sometimes have terrible nightmares, brought on by things they witness during the day. Even now that we're older we can be tormented by our thoughts and dreams, fortunately, we know there is a God who conquers all of that but it makes me think that we should try to avoid from polluting our minds in the first place.
It's hard though. The process of desensitization can happen so slowly. Children can be so easily scarred by violent images or mean talk but as we get older, we almost get used to it. It doesn't bother us as badly. Sometimes people even begin to think that it's not that bad anymore. For example, think of how some little kids are so sensitive to 'bad' words and then when we get older, it's like no big deal, hear it all the time. Is that a good attitude to have? Look at how movies keep pushing the bar on violence and other sins; people want more to thrill them because they are too used to what they've seen in the past that it provides them with no sick pleasure anymore.
So what does all this mean for us? Well, I just hope that we become more aware of what we let into our minds and the thoughts we keep. After all, Philippians 4:8 tells us pretty clearly to think about "...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Let that be the rule that guides us. Just because evil is out there in the world, doesn't mean we need to concentrate on it.
Matthew 15:16-20 states "...But what comes out of the mouth gets its start in the heart. It's from the heart that we vomit up evil arguments, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, lies, and cussing. That's what pollutes."
And again in Matthew 7: 20-23, "He went on: "It's what comes out of a person that pollutes: obscenities, lusts, thefts, murders, adulteries, greed, depravity, deceptive dealings, carousing, mean looks, slander, arrogance, foolishness—all these are vomit from the heart. There is the source of your pollution."
Pretty serious stuff eh? We pollute ourselves by what we allow into our hearts. So we need to protect our minds from effecting the way we feel in our hearts. It's all about keeping ourselves pure and honourable to God. Life becomes so much more free and enjoyable when we don't have disturbing feelings tagging along with us. And we don't want to lead ourselves into sin either.
So I think it's time we allow ourselves to be sensitive again. To see things as they really are and understand how God sees it. When we ask God to allow us to look at the world through his eyes, everything becomes a whole lot clearer than before. We see it as it really is, as the truth. And then we can see God's love and heart for changing the world.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Cookies!!
Hey Girls,
What is the best part of making cookies? It's getting dough all over your fingers as you mix up the batter and then form the cookies. Or at least that's my favourite part because I love the taste of cookie dough. It's the hands on creative part, the design part, the yummy part! When was the last time you had fun sticking your hands into a pile of dough? You know, it delights kids to play with dough. As a child, I loved sampling the cookie dough.
I think there are a lot of things we have fun doing as a child but lose sight off as we get older. Sometimes that's a very good thing- like picking your nose- admit it, you did it! haha. But there are other things that we took delight in that we don't necessarily do anymore or sometimes we just don't have that childlike delight in what we do. Why not? Why do we let life become such a point of stress, worry, concern or take it so seriously that we can't just sit back and laugh, giggle, play?
Think about spiritual stuff for a moment. Isn't anything spiritual seemingly really serious? Takes much thought, concentration..etc. It doesn't always seem that fun or silly. How often do we have fun doing a spiritual activity? Like there are lots of spiritual games, like prophecy games and whatnot, which can be fun. I'm kinda talking more on just taking a childlike delight in God. Just enjoying reading the Bible or praying, feeling that's it's okay to giggle and be goofy when spending time with God.
Matthew 18: 3-5 tells us clearly the importance of not losing our childlike heritage: "And he said: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes a humble place—becoming like this child—is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me." Pretty intense huh? We have to be humble like kids, confessing our sins, aware of our limitations, accepting simply what we can not understand, having faith in our hearts even when we can't make sense of everything and humbling ourself to know that we are just kids. When we welcome a kid, we welcome God so that means God has a lot of childlike characteristics too and takes great delight in us!
There is a difference between being childish and being childlike. We're not to act immature and foolish. We still need to exercise wisdom but I think a lot of us sometimes lose sight of the whole childlike aspect. The innocents. I don't think God wants his kids to be world weary, bone tired and crouching beneath the weight of all their responsibilities. Rather, I think God wants his children to be children. Remember what that was like? You didn't have to worry about stuff because you knew your parents would take care of you. It's the same way with God. Children can trust in such innocents, such heartfelt devotion. We can't lose that. People often become jaded, cynical and put up walls as they get older because they've been hurt by the world and don't see much good in it anymore. Life fills children with delight.
That's what I want us to recapture, to get back too. That childlike faith of total heartfelt devotion to God, and trusting in him that he will take care of us. Carefree, innocent and believing that God can work good in the world, that's what we need. So do something today that will help you get in touch with those childlike feelings and help you remember what it felt like to be a kid.
Just go make some cookies!
What is the best part of making cookies? It's getting dough all over your fingers as you mix up the batter and then form the cookies. Or at least that's my favourite part because I love the taste of cookie dough. It's the hands on creative part, the design part, the yummy part! When was the last time you had fun sticking your hands into a pile of dough? You know, it delights kids to play with dough. As a child, I loved sampling the cookie dough.
I think there are a lot of things we have fun doing as a child but lose sight off as we get older. Sometimes that's a very good thing- like picking your nose- admit it, you did it! haha. But there are other things that we took delight in that we don't necessarily do anymore or sometimes we just don't have that childlike delight in what we do. Why not? Why do we let life become such a point of stress, worry, concern or take it so seriously that we can't just sit back and laugh, giggle, play?
Think about spiritual stuff for a moment. Isn't anything spiritual seemingly really serious? Takes much thought, concentration..etc. It doesn't always seem that fun or silly. How often do we have fun doing a spiritual activity? Like there are lots of spiritual games, like prophecy games and whatnot, which can be fun. I'm kinda talking more on just taking a childlike delight in God. Just enjoying reading the Bible or praying, feeling that's it's okay to giggle and be goofy when spending time with God.
Matthew 18: 3-5 tells us clearly the importance of not losing our childlike heritage: "And he said: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes a humble place—becoming like this child—is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me." Pretty intense huh? We have to be humble like kids, confessing our sins, aware of our limitations, accepting simply what we can not understand, having faith in our hearts even when we can't make sense of everything and humbling ourself to know that we are just kids. When we welcome a kid, we welcome God so that means God has a lot of childlike characteristics too and takes great delight in us!
There is a difference between being childish and being childlike. We're not to act immature and foolish. We still need to exercise wisdom but I think a lot of us sometimes lose sight of the whole childlike aspect. The innocents. I don't think God wants his kids to be world weary, bone tired and crouching beneath the weight of all their responsibilities. Rather, I think God wants his children to be children. Remember what that was like? You didn't have to worry about stuff because you knew your parents would take care of you. It's the same way with God. Children can trust in such innocents, such heartfelt devotion. We can't lose that. People often become jaded, cynical and put up walls as they get older because they've been hurt by the world and don't see much good in it anymore. Life fills children with delight.
That's what I want us to recapture, to get back too. That childlike faith of total heartfelt devotion to God, and trusting in him that he will take care of us. Carefree, innocent and believing that God can work good in the world, that's what we need. So do something today that will help you get in touch with those childlike feelings and help you remember what it felt like to be a kid.
Just go make some cookies!
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