People who believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior are promised salvation.
I know so many people who are all about this. We go to church every Sunday. Sometimes we get really crazy and go on Wednesdays. If we are really holy we throw in a campus ministry another day in the week. We like the free gift.
Have any of us read any of the Bible?
God promises us so much more.
We are always worried about school. life. relationships. money. sports. future. past. popularity. clothes. facebook. music. movies. feel free to add your own...
Why are we so apt to trust God for salvation, yet we refuse to believe his other promises?
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the Lord, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."
That is Jeremiah 29:11-14. Does it not carry the same weight as John 3:16?
His plans for us are better than ours. Hope. A future.
We can call on Him. He WILL listen.
We WILL find find Him.
He WILL bring us out of captivity.
We see this and we start humanizing it. "Yeah, I want God's plan, but I'll find a spouse and have some kids and then follow God's plan."
What would it be like if we just trusted him to do what he says?
He will not fail.
A person will let you down.
I will let you down.
He doesn't know how to fail.
"Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."
That is Psalm 37:4.
God cares about us. Genuinely.
He wants good for us. If we seek him, he will give us all of these things that we selfishly desire.
As usual I am the best example of this. I often trust God to start a situation, and then I take over like I know how to do it better than Him.
Every time I let Him take control he makes things better than I could have even hoped.
Thank you God for keeping your promises.
Thank you God for caring about us.
Life is so much more than all of these goals and milestones.
Let life constantly glorify Him.
Let life be a journey, not a destination.
That's what it is whether want it to be or not.
God is the only one who can truly fill our desires.
And he is doing so for someone even now.
Don't limit God in your life. We have to allow Him to bless us.
And he will.
I promise, because He promises.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Seek wisdom rather than knowledge
We as people know so much about the world.
No, we know nothing. While watching "It's a Wonderful Life" for the second time this year, my friends pointed out that people in the movie smoked without guilt because they had no idea what the side effects were. My friends then joked that cell phones are the new cigarettes, and that one day people will look back at movies and say, "Look how they just just held it up to the ears. They really had no idea."
But we know so much.
We can't even describe color. We don't even know if we all see the same colors. We have been taught to identify what we see. There is no way of knowing what others see because we can't describe what we see.
But science is constantly advancing.
Yeah, and we still cannot explain how wind happens or what it is. We all can feel it. We all know it is there. No one actually knows how or why.
---
Why do we like thinking we have things figured out? We don't...sorry.
Socrates said, "The only true knowledge is knowing that we know nothing."
Someone who is widely known as one of the smartest humans ever was quoted to say that.
Why do we concern ourselves with gaining all this knowledge? Pop culture has news all the time that simply doesn't matter at all. It's almost depressing to know they have such an audience.
---
Here's what I know.
Jesus thought differently than anyone who has ever been on earth. His thoughts matched those of God. He is infinitely wise.
Can you imagine what that would be like??
He was totally aware of everything happening around him all the time. He knew what was happening to each individual blade of grass under his feet. He knew the problems of everyone in the crowds around him. Somehow he was still able to focus on whatever was at hand.
Complete awareness. Constant love. For everyone.
We (definitely including myself) fill our brains with so much junk that we forget to love. We do not stop to encourage the friend who had just failed his final because we have to go study. That extra five minutes really made the difference in our grade...
I am certain of God's love for me. He loves me even though he knows me. His love is all I know.
Death and taxes. Ha. People in some countries are too poor to have taxes, and Jesus beat death.
What do we know?
No, we know nothing. While watching "It's a Wonderful Life" for the second time this year, my friends pointed out that people in the movie smoked without guilt because they had no idea what the side effects were. My friends then joked that cell phones are the new cigarettes, and that one day people will look back at movies and say, "Look how they just just held it up to the ears. They really had no idea."
But we know so much.
We can't even describe color. We don't even know if we all see the same colors. We have been taught to identify what we see. There is no way of knowing what others see because we can't describe what we see.
But science is constantly advancing.
Yeah, and we still cannot explain how wind happens or what it is. We all can feel it. We all know it is there. No one actually knows how or why.
---
Why do we like thinking we have things figured out? We don't...sorry.
Socrates said, "The only true knowledge is knowing that we know nothing."
Someone who is widely known as one of the smartest humans ever was quoted to say that.
Why do we concern ourselves with gaining all this knowledge? Pop culture has news all the time that simply doesn't matter at all. It's almost depressing to know they have such an audience.
---
Here's what I know.
Jesus thought differently than anyone who has ever been on earth. His thoughts matched those of God. He is infinitely wise.
Can you imagine what that would be like??
He was totally aware of everything happening around him all the time. He knew what was happening to each individual blade of grass under his feet. He knew the problems of everyone in the crowds around him. Somehow he was still able to focus on whatever was at hand.
Complete awareness. Constant love. For everyone.
We (definitely including myself) fill our brains with so much junk that we forget to love. We do not stop to encourage the friend who had just failed his final because we have to go study. That extra five minutes really made the difference in our grade...
I am certain of God's love for me. He loves me even though he knows me. His love is all I know.
Death and taxes. Ha. People in some countries are too poor to have taxes, and Jesus beat death.
What do we know?
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Slaying the dragon
My friends use this phrase to describe studying in Auburn's library.
Ralph Brown Draughon Library.
What a place. I have spent the last several hours there studying for a psychology test. I think (and hope) I am well prepared. I use to be on the bandwagon that says the library is nothing but a big social time for people searching for a distraction; however, this semester I have found these distractions to be study breaks that prevent me from losing my mind. I am actually a more efficient studier when I have people to help remind me that the world does not revolve around how well I do (or do not do) on my test.
I look forward to future times of slaying the dragon.
It's just so much more fun to say "I'm slaying the dragon" than it is to say "I am studying at the library."
Hooray for learning to let God take control in order to not be stressed.
Don't worry. Be Happy.
:::whistling:::
Ralph Brown Draughon Library.
What a place. I have spent the last several hours there studying for a psychology test. I think (and hope) I am well prepared. I use to be on the bandwagon that says the library is nothing but a big social time for people searching for a distraction; however, this semester I have found these distractions to be study breaks that prevent me from losing my mind. I am actually a more efficient studier when I have people to help remind me that the world does not revolve around how well I do (or do not do) on my test.
I look forward to future times of slaying the dragon.
It's just so much more fun to say "I'm slaying the dragon" than it is to say "I am studying at the library."
Hooray for learning to let God take control in order to not be stressed.
Don't worry. Be Happy.
:::whistling:::
Sunday, December 7, 2008
"Music is what feelings sound like"
I need words
As wide as sky
I need language large as
This longing inside
And I need a voice
Bigger than mine
And I need a song to sing You
That I've yet to find
I need You
Such emotion.
Such understanding.
How does an instrument know the language of my soul?
How can an instrument be a pathway for God to speak and for me to praise Him?
I even enjoy the word we give it.
.music
The word passes through mouths like hands touching silk for the first time.
.music
An escape.
An art.
The art of creating feelings from what would be silence.
One of our best means of expressing to God our desire to worship him.
We condense our feelings into a time frame.
.song
At times we long for a certain song to be endless.
We want the depth of our soul to be touched forever.
The Lord is our great song.
He spreads across our greatest weaknesses and provides strength.
He cures what we think is beyond saving.
God is the music our soul desires.
Glimpses of heaven can be found in music.
The light breaks into this empty place and delivers hope.
Imagine eternity with God.
Hope--found in its core being.
Love--in spite of my flaws.
In spite of ALL of my flaws.
So much love that he died, so that I don't have to.
My hope is built on nothing less.
Thank you God for music.
Let music glorify you.
Speak to us through it.
Thank for giving us another way to connect with you.
Psalm 96
Isaiah 55:12
Judges 5:3
1 Chronicles 23:5
Ephesian 5:19-20
Exodus 15:2
2 Samuel 4:5
Colossians 3:16
As wide as sky
I need language large as
This longing inside
And I need a voice
Bigger than mine
And I need a song to sing You
That I've yet to find
I need You
Such emotion.
Such understanding.
How does an instrument know the language of my soul?
How can an instrument be a pathway for God to speak and for me to praise Him?
I even enjoy the word we give it.
.music
The word passes through mouths like hands touching silk for the first time.
.music
An escape.
An art.
The art of creating feelings from what would be silence.
One of our best means of expressing to God our desire to worship him.
We condense our feelings into a time frame.
.song
At times we long for a certain song to be endless.
We want the depth of our soul to be touched forever.
The Lord is our great song.
He spreads across our greatest weaknesses and provides strength.
He cures what we think is beyond saving.
God is the music our soul desires.
Glimpses of heaven can be found in music.
The light breaks into this empty place and delivers hope.
Imagine eternity with God.
Hope--found in its core being.
Love--in spite of my flaws.
In spite of ALL of my flaws.
So much love that he died, so that I don't have to.
My hope is built on nothing less.
Thank you God for music.
Let music glorify you.
Speak to us through it.
Thank for giving us another way to connect with you.
Psalm 96
Isaiah 55:12
Judges 5:3
1 Chronicles 23:5
Ephesian 5:19-20
Exodus 15:2
2 Samuel 4:5
Colossians 3:16
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