I'm starting to realize how twisted our view of love is, especially God's love. When something doesn't go our way we think God must not love us or we're outside His will or something like that. We want to believe that God loves us so much that He doesn't ever want to let any harm come to us. He wants to keep us safe. Cocooned.
The problem is, God loves us so much that He DOESN'T want that for us. We are precious, like gold, but gold must be refined if it is to be beautiful and useful for anything.
How is gold refined? In the fire. Gold must be heated, melted, to remove the impurities. In the same way, we have to let God melt us to remove the sin. Only then can we be molded for God's purpose.
God doesn't want us to be safe and sound, where all our impurities, our sins, will be safe with us. No, He wants us to go through the fire and come out pure and strong. To strengthen us so we can pass through the fire without facing destruction He has given us His Holy Spirit. Just like the time some of His believers were thrown in a furnace, He is there with us.
It's a hard lesson to learn, but I'm starting to realize how thankful I should be that God loves me enough to refine me in the fire.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Perfume, and lip gloss, and skirts, oh my!
So I'll tell you right now that today's post will be completely different than the rest you've read from me lately! I've been feeling a lot girlier than usual, and I've decided to let it out! That means that this blog is basically pointless, but I like to write what I feel, and today I feel pretty. lol
For starters, Raina came over on Friday and I got to buy an awesome Mary Kay set that comes with all four of their perfumes, a lip gloss, and a connector that puts the lip gloss and a perfume together so it'll be a handy-dandy purse staple! Normally I hate perfume because it's all entirely too fussy smelling to me, but I ADORE every MK scent. All you ladies HAVE to try them (and Raina is the coolest MK rep in the land. Try her out)! That's girly point numero uno for my weekend.
Girly point number two: I dyed my hair for spring. Normally my hair is black or dark, dark red. Now it's a lighter auburn, and I love it! For some reason all this just makes me want to go shopping (girly point number 3)!
Lucky for me, Shaun and I have planned an all-day shop-a-thon for Good Friday. I've already been scoping what I want to buy. I've decided that this season there must be a fashion guru somewhere with me in mind, because I'm finding all sorts of floral prints online that I can actually wear with my multitude of black shirts. Let's face it, it's hard to reconcile my Hot Topic-friendly wardrobe with anything pretty or sophisticated, but I think this is the year for it!
Alright, onto another subject. This Saturday at 7 we are having a 20something/Elm Street Bible Study party at my house! I'm seriously excited, and I hope a lot of people show up. It'll be nice to get to socialize outside of church and Bible study!
For starters, Raina came over on Friday and I got to buy an awesome Mary Kay set that comes with all four of their perfumes, a lip gloss, and a connector that puts the lip gloss and a perfume together so it'll be a handy-dandy purse staple! Normally I hate perfume because it's all entirely too fussy smelling to me, but I ADORE every MK scent. All you ladies HAVE to try them (and Raina is the coolest MK rep in the land. Try her out)! That's girly point numero uno for my weekend.
Girly point number two: I dyed my hair for spring. Normally my hair is black or dark, dark red. Now it's a lighter auburn, and I love it! For some reason all this just makes me want to go shopping (girly point number 3)!
Lucky for me, Shaun and I have planned an all-day shop-a-thon for Good Friday. I've already been scoping what I want to buy. I've decided that this season there must be a fashion guru somewhere with me in mind, because I'm finding all sorts of floral prints online that I can actually wear with my multitude of black shirts. Let's face it, it's hard to reconcile my Hot Topic-friendly wardrobe with anything pretty or sophisticated, but I think this is the year for it!
Alright, onto another subject. This Saturday at 7 we are having a 20something/Elm Street Bible Study party at my house! I'm seriously excited, and I hope a lot of people show up. It'll be nice to get to socialize outside of church and Bible study!
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Any questions from the monkeys in the back?
Most of my posts have a point, but today I feel like being completely random! I found my old Xanga and started reading posts from when I was a freshman in college. I feel like if I met freshman me, we would act like two different people. I was so carefree and goofy! (Alright, I'm still goofy sometimes lol) I'm pretty sure we could be friends though. :)
I know I'm supposed to be "grown up" and all that jazz, but there are times that I wonder if freshman-year-me is the way things should really be. I had things that I could have worried about, but I didn't. Sure, I have more things to worry about now, but if I could take a lesson from me several years ago, it's that when I trust God to take care of things, He will, and I'll have a lot more fun in the process!
It's amazing how we as adults should be taking cues from younger people. Kids take pleasure in simple things, worry about little, and trust easily. In the same way, we should take pleasure in what God gives us without wanting that which is bad for us, avoid worry because it is unnecessary, and easily place our trust in God. How hard should it be? I fear that the older and more "sophisticated" we get, the more complicated we makes things on ourselves. We pride ourselves in being mature, but really we're all mixed up and we put roadblocks between us and God.
Alright, so maybe I did have a bit of a point!
In the spirit of goofiness and being carefree, I'll leave you with a few quotes from my Xanga, most of which are from my beloved OSAS:
"Excuse me, we are the mafia."
"Any questions from the monkeys in the back?"
"Jay attacked me in true squirrel fashion."
"I got blamed for a small food fight that I didn't start and accepted an award for a person I didn't know."
I know I'm supposed to be "grown up" and all that jazz, but there are times that I wonder if freshman-year-me is the way things should really be. I had things that I could have worried about, but I didn't. Sure, I have more things to worry about now, but if I could take a lesson from me several years ago, it's that when I trust God to take care of things, He will, and I'll have a lot more fun in the process!
It's amazing how we as adults should be taking cues from younger people. Kids take pleasure in simple things, worry about little, and trust easily. In the same way, we should take pleasure in what God gives us without wanting that which is bad for us, avoid worry because it is unnecessary, and easily place our trust in God. How hard should it be? I fear that the older and more "sophisticated" we get, the more complicated we makes things on ourselves. We pride ourselves in being mature, but really we're all mixed up and we put roadblocks between us and God.
Alright, so maybe I did have a bit of a point!
In the spirit of goofiness and being carefree, I'll leave you with a few quotes from my Xanga, most of which are from my beloved OSAS:
"Excuse me, we are the mafia."
"Any questions from the monkeys in the back?"
"Jay attacked me in true squirrel fashion."
"I got blamed for a small food fight that I didn't start and accepted an award for a person I didn't know."
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Paid in Full
"Carrying His own cross, He went out to what is called Skull Place, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified Him...He said "It is finished!" Then bowing His head, He gave up His spirit." John 19:17, 18, 30
Our King Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for us on a day long ago. He was led like a lamb to slaughter, but unlike an ordinary sacrifice, He did not stay dead. Death could not overcome Him. Death could not hold him prisoner.
As Easter approaches and I ponder the magnitude of what was done for me, I am drawn to my knees in humility. I, who commits selfish acts daily, was bought and paid for by the selfless one.
When Jesus said "It is finished," He was using a common accounting term. Literally translated, it means "Paid in full." The debt is canceled. When the money was paid to fulfill a debt, this is what was written on the bill. In essence, Jesus was saying "I have fulfilled the debt my beloved one could not pay."
There is none righteous among us, and none who can pay the debt we owe for sins committed. Without a Savior who has stamped "paid in full" on my bill, I'd be screwed. I'm so thankful for the God who loves me so much that He sent His Son to be beaten, bruised, and crucified so that I may live debt-free.
To loosely quote John Newton, "I am a great sinner, and Jesus is a great Savior."
Our King Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for us on a day long ago. He was led like a lamb to slaughter, but unlike an ordinary sacrifice, He did not stay dead. Death could not overcome Him. Death could not hold him prisoner.
As Easter approaches and I ponder the magnitude of what was done for me, I am drawn to my knees in humility. I, who commits selfish acts daily, was bought and paid for by the selfless one.
When Jesus said "It is finished," He was using a common accounting term. Literally translated, it means "Paid in full." The debt is canceled. When the money was paid to fulfill a debt, this is what was written on the bill. In essence, Jesus was saying "I have fulfilled the debt my beloved one could not pay."
There is none righteous among us, and none who can pay the debt we owe for sins committed. Without a Savior who has stamped "paid in full" on my bill, I'd be screwed. I'm so thankful for the God who loves me so much that He sent His Son to be beaten, bruised, and crucified so that I may live debt-free.
To loosely quote John Newton, "I am a great sinner, and Jesus is a great Savior."
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Our Lord Reigns: God's plagues versus the Egyptian gods' power
Alright so this blog is actually a little bit of a lesson. In my Bible study we are currently studying Exodus, and this week we started reading about the plagues. I found out that each of the plagues attacked the powers of at least one Egyptian god, so I thought I'd play a matching game and figure out which plague goes with which god! Here's what I've got so far:
1. Nile River Turned to Blood:
For starters, the Egyptians worshipped the Nile itself, because it was the center of their lifestyle. By ruining the Nile God proved his superiority over Hapi, the god of the Nile and one of the major gods in the Egyptian pantheon, and over the other lesser Nile gods. He also killed all the fish of the Nile, thus defeating any gods or goddesses associated with fish, including Hathor and Neith.
2. Frogs:
Several Egyptian deities were thought to take the form of frogs, therefore the frog was considered sacred. Egyptians considered an abundance of frogs to be a sign of plenty (it makes sense that an large number of creatures who prefer moist environments would be revered in a culture that lives in a hot, dry climate), so the appearance of thousands of frogs should have been a good sign. Unfortunately for them, the frogs all died. This was definitely a hit on Heket, the frog headed goddess, and Isis, who sometimes took the form of a frog. These goddesses represented fertility. The death of their symbol represents the complete opposite, showing yet again God's supremacy.
3. Lice:
The lice were created from the "dust of the earth." This is a clear attack on Geb, another of the major gods, because not only is he god over the dust of the earth, according to the Egyptians he IS the dust of the earth. His body was the ground on which they walked. To make his body into the lice that made each and every Egyptian unclean is a definite insult to the Egyptian religion. This also insulted Seth, an earth god, and Kheper, god of beetles and flies.
4. Flies:
This one is another insult to Kheper, who did not answer the Egyptians prayers for a respite from the creepy-crawlies. It also attacks all the gods of the air, many of which reportedly used flies as their ears. The flies attacked everyone but the Hebrews, which is a clear sign of holiness.
5. Death of Livestock:
This plague came with awful consequences to the Egyptians and created doubt in many gods, from Apis, the sacred bull, to the Hathor, the cow-headed goddess. It also created a huge economic disaster, since it left them without food, transportation, military supplies, farming animals, and other economic goods produced by livestock. Meanwhile, the Hebrews are doing just fine.
6. Boils:
Imagine the emotional and physical scars this left. In ancient Egypt, medicine and magic were considered the same, so the fact that the magicians fled from Moses' sight because they couldn't get rid of the boils is a huge blow to the Egyptians. These men and other healers were considered conduits of Thoth, the god of magic and healing, Isis, goddess of medicine, Hike, god of magic, and many others. If they are powerless, so are the gods they serve. They couldn't even offer sacrifices, since only the clean may serve the gods. Boils represented punishment from sin in Egyptian society, but did Pharaoh, the living god, not think that keeping the Hebrews was right?
7. Hail:
This plague destroyed all the barley and flax, the crops that the Egyptians used in libations (alcohol) and clothing, but left some of the wheat, which was purely for food. This took away the comforts and vanities of the Egyptians, but still gave them the option of surviving. It also proved God the true deity over Nut, the sky goddess, Reshpu, the god of rain, and many other gods, including Shu and Tefnet. This also destroyed trust in the weather shamans who called on these gods to make the weather constantly favorable. Of course, this lie was easily sustained until this point, since Egypt had the most predictable weather imaginable. The hail ruined that illusion of the shamans' power.
8. Locusts:
When Pharaoh still refused to let the Hebrews left, God took away the Egyptians' sustenance with locusts. All the prayers to Seth, god of crops, and Min, protector of crops, fell on deaf ears, proving once more that the Hebrew God listens, while the Egyptian gods either do not listen or do not exist. In essence, Pharaoh's stubbornness led the Egyptians to the brink of starvation.
9. Darkness:
With three days of darkness, God proved that He reigns supreme over even the highest of Egyptian gods, Re. He was the most worshipped of all, yet he was powerless to stop the Hebrew God from covering his light. To the Egyptians, darkness represents hopelessness. They could not even trust Pharaoh, the "son of Re," to save them. By this time the Egyptian pantheon of gods is completely crushed.
10. Death of the Firstborn:
The firstborn of each family were considered the most important and most blessed of the children. They were dedicated to the gods. This plague was a clear affront to Pharaoh's own divinity, since he could not even save his son, who was also considered divine and therefore protected by Re and various other gods. The pantheon of gods is destroyed, and the leader of Egypt is disgraced.
Through these ten plagues God proved His sovereignty. He proved that He is the sole God. He proved that His people truly are set apart from the world. Not only has He proved his power to those who enslaved the Hebrews, He reminded His people that He is in control. It's amazing how we forget that, even today.
1. Nile River Turned to Blood:
For starters, the Egyptians worshipped the Nile itself, because it was the center of their lifestyle. By ruining the Nile God proved his superiority over Hapi, the god of the Nile and one of the major gods in the Egyptian pantheon, and over the other lesser Nile gods. He also killed all the fish of the Nile, thus defeating any gods or goddesses associated with fish, including Hathor and Neith.
2. Frogs:
Several Egyptian deities were thought to take the form of frogs, therefore the frog was considered sacred. Egyptians considered an abundance of frogs to be a sign of plenty (it makes sense that an large number of creatures who prefer moist environments would be revered in a culture that lives in a hot, dry climate), so the appearance of thousands of frogs should have been a good sign. Unfortunately for them, the frogs all died. This was definitely a hit on Heket, the frog headed goddess, and Isis, who sometimes took the form of a frog. These goddesses represented fertility. The death of their symbol represents the complete opposite, showing yet again God's supremacy.
3. Lice:
The lice were created from the "dust of the earth." This is a clear attack on Geb, another of the major gods, because not only is he god over the dust of the earth, according to the Egyptians he IS the dust of the earth. His body was the ground on which they walked. To make his body into the lice that made each and every Egyptian unclean is a definite insult to the Egyptian religion. This also insulted Seth, an earth god, and Kheper, god of beetles and flies.
4. Flies:
This one is another insult to Kheper, who did not answer the Egyptians prayers for a respite from the creepy-crawlies. It also attacks all the gods of the air, many of which reportedly used flies as their ears. The flies attacked everyone but the Hebrews, which is a clear sign of holiness.
5. Death of Livestock:
This plague came with awful consequences to the Egyptians and created doubt in many gods, from Apis, the sacred bull, to the Hathor, the cow-headed goddess. It also created a huge economic disaster, since it left them without food, transportation, military supplies, farming animals, and other economic goods produced by livestock. Meanwhile, the Hebrews are doing just fine.
6. Boils:
Imagine the emotional and physical scars this left. In ancient Egypt, medicine and magic were considered the same, so the fact that the magicians fled from Moses' sight because they couldn't get rid of the boils is a huge blow to the Egyptians. These men and other healers were considered conduits of Thoth, the god of magic and healing, Isis, goddess of medicine, Hike, god of magic, and many others. If they are powerless, so are the gods they serve. They couldn't even offer sacrifices, since only the clean may serve the gods. Boils represented punishment from sin in Egyptian society, but did Pharaoh, the living god, not think that keeping the Hebrews was right?
7. Hail:
This plague destroyed all the barley and flax, the crops that the Egyptians used in libations (alcohol) and clothing, but left some of the wheat, which was purely for food. This took away the comforts and vanities of the Egyptians, but still gave them the option of surviving. It also proved God the true deity over Nut, the sky goddess, Reshpu, the god of rain, and many other gods, including Shu and Tefnet. This also destroyed trust in the weather shamans who called on these gods to make the weather constantly favorable. Of course, this lie was easily sustained until this point, since Egypt had the most predictable weather imaginable. The hail ruined that illusion of the shamans' power.
8. Locusts:
When Pharaoh still refused to let the Hebrews left, God took away the Egyptians' sustenance with locusts. All the prayers to Seth, god of crops, and Min, protector of crops, fell on deaf ears, proving once more that the Hebrew God listens, while the Egyptian gods either do not listen or do not exist. In essence, Pharaoh's stubbornness led the Egyptians to the brink of starvation.
9. Darkness:
With three days of darkness, God proved that He reigns supreme over even the highest of Egyptian gods, Re. He was the most worshipped of all, yet he was powerless to stop the Hebrew God from covering his light. To the Egyptians, darkness represents hopelessness. They could not even trust Pharaoh, the "son of Re," to save them. By this time the Egyptian pantheon of gods is completely crushed.
10. Death of the Firstborn:
The firstborn of each family were considered the most important and most blessed of the children. They were dedicated to the gods. This plague was a clear affront to Pharaoh's own divinity, since he could not even save his son, who was also considered divine and therefore protected by Re and various other gods. The pantheon of gods is destroyed, and the leader of Egypt is disgraced.
Through these ten plagues God proved His sovereignty. He proved that He is the sole God. He proved that His people truly are set apart from the world. Not only has He proved his power to those who enslaved the Hebrews, He reminded His people that He is in control. It's amazing how we forget that, even today.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
God at Work
It's amazing how we talk about how good God is all the time, but we don't really realize it or comprehend it. I JUST realized how good He was in an answer to my prayers (and surely the prayers of many others) in the past few years.
God not only answers prayers, He goes above and beyond any expectations we, in our tiny minds, could possibly imagine. Several years ago a friend of mine just dropped off the map. She was at church every week, then she just...wasn't. There was no one I felt I could ask about her. I heard somewhere that she had moved out of her parents house (she was still in high school), and I didn't know where she was or what she was doing. All I could do was pray that wherever she was, God would be working in her heart.
She moved back in with her parents, and that was that. I was glad she moved back, but I never thanked God for that miracle. I am now, because I see that He not only worked in her heart to bring her back home, He has made her into a leader and an inspiration for others. He has blessed us with her presence and I could not be more thankful for that. I never thought that simple prayers for a prodigal daughter to return home would be part of such a rich and beautiful chapter of God's story.
God not only answers prayers, He goes above and beyond any expectations we, in our tiny minds, could possibly imagine. Several years ago a friend of mine just dropped off the map. She was at church every week, then she just...wasn't. There was no one I felt I could ask about her. I heard somewhere that she had moved out of her parents house (she was still in high school), and I didn't know where she was or what she was doing. All I could do was pray that wherever she was, God would be working in her heart.
She moved back in with her parents, and that was that. I was glad she moved back, but I never thanked God for that miracle. I am now, because I see that He not only worked in her heart to bring her back home, He has made her into a leader and an inspiration for others. He has blessed us with her presence and I could not be more thankful for that. I never thought that simple prayers for a prodigal daughter to return home would be part of such a rich and beautiful chapter of God's story.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Mistakes
I am constantly made aware of small ways in which followers of Christ are made ineffective. I see these things in myself, then I turn and see these things in the church in general. It's amazing how tiny things, especially words, can make us into worthless witnesses.
For example, take the word "mistake." I hear everyone from pastors to newborn Christians use the word mistake in place of sin, as if the two words are synonyms. The definitions of the two, however, are quite divergent (if you haven't noticed yet, I really like definitions lol). A sin is a "willful or deliberate violation of some religious or moral principle or law." A mistake is "a misunderstanding or misconception."
To replace the word sin with mistake is to downgrade the magnitude of the action. A sin is to act against God that requires full acknowledgment and repentance from the sinner. On the other hand, a mistake seems to lessen the burden on the shoulders of the perpetrator. By saying we made a mistake, we merely say "oops, sorry God" rather than dropping to our knees and asking forgiveness when we know we do not deserve it.
The worst part about our easygoing approach to sin is the damage it does to our personal view of Jesus. It's so hard to appreciate a Savior if we downsize that from which He saved us. We make mountains into molehills. When He came to earth, He came to save us from mountains we could not move ourselves. Mountains that stand between us and God. Molehills never kept a traveler from a destination.
If we continue to talk about "mistakes" we made in the past, what kind of Savior do we present to the world? I'd rather present the true One, the One who died to save us from our sin, not from simple mistakes. In the process I must own up to my sins, but that is a small cost.
For example, take the word "mistake." I hear everyone from pastors to newborn Christians use the word mistake in place of sin, as if the two words are synonyms. The definitions of the two, however, are quite divergent (if you haven't noticed yet, I really like definitions lol). A sin is a "willful or deliberate violation of some religious or moral principle or law." A mistake is "a misunderstanding or misconception."
To replace the word sin with mistake is to downgrade the magnitude of the action. A sin is to act against God that requires full acknowledgment and repentance from the sinner. On the other hand, a mistake seems to lessen the burden on the shoulders of the perpetrator. By saying we made a mistake, we merely say "oops, sorry God" rather than dropping to our knees and asking forgiveness when we know we do not deserve it.
The worst part about our easygoing approach to sin is the damage it does to our personal view of Jesus. It's so hard to appreciate a Savior if we downsize that from which He saved us. We make mountains into molehills. When He came to earth, He came to save us from mountains we could not move ourselves. Mountains that stand between us and God. Molehills never kept a traveler from a destination.
If we continue to talk about "mistakes" we made in the past, what kind of Savior do we present to the world? I'd rather present the true One, the One who died to save us from our sin, not from simple mistakes. In the process I must own up to my sins, but that is a small cost.
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