God's Beauty

 
 
 
 



I am in cold and beautiful Colorado spending time with two of my favorite people in the world! Yesterday we went up to the Rockies to find a spot to sled. After a beautiful scenic drive we found our spot. I saw snow that hadn't been touched...by ANYTHING and that is very very tempting to jump in. Little did we know it was about a foot and a half deep and as we tried to walk up what seemed like a tiny hill we were in for an impossible task, but Kendall and I being determined made it up to the top without too many slips and falls and found the perfect spot to sled down! I guess not growing up in the snow didn't prepare me for some things one of which was the fact that fresh powder isn't the best for sledding, in fact it isn't good at all. About five feet down we got buried in the snow which was FREEZING by the way, but it was a memory I will never forget. As I lay there and looked up at the mountains around me and the snow covering everything I was again amazed by God's creation which never ceases to blow my mind. God's handprints are on all of creation and I feel blessed to experience its beauty. What an amazing God...

For I Know The Plans I Have For You...

There are those verses throughout Scripture that Christians pull and cling to throughout their lives. One of those is Jeremiah 29:11 which says, "For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, plans of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope". As Christians this verse resonates deep within our souls and brings a comfort that one can't describe. However we must make sure that as we read Scripture we clearly look at the context and what God was meaning to say. This "future" or "hope" was not promised to you or to me as 21st century Christians but rather to the Jewish nation of Israel. This assured blessings from the Lord to be brought in Israel's future.

I clearly remember taking this verse and applying it to my own life as a promise that was made specifically to me. Yet as I began to study I was shocked to realize that that was not the case. Discouraged for a moment I soon found comfort in this "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8)Although Jeremiah 29:11 was not written specifically to me for my life, the God who made that promise to Israel is the same God today and has made a similar promise to me. In Romans 8:28 He promises that He who began a good work in me will be faithful to complete it! God has an amazing plan for each of us 21st century disciples, plans to magnify Himself and bring glory and honor to His name, plans that include earthly and eternal blessings and plans that will keep us confident in the hope that we posses. The plans He has for us have been made before the foundations of the earth and we can do nothing in our sinful nature or power to change that! God is sovereign and in control of all. How comforting and encouraging is that. What an indescribable God we serve today, tomorrow and forevermore into eternity!!!

Hard But So Worth It

I recently had a conversation with a friend about the walk of faith that we as disciples have been called to. During our conversation he hit me with a question that struck a chord deep down inside...sometimes it is just so hard...is it really worth it? As disciples of the Lord living in a world that constantly nags at our flesh and tries to motivate us to live for anything but Christ it is easy to fall prey to Satan's lies and schemes of thinking that this race we've been called to just might not be worth it in the end. The persecution we may have to endure from family and friends, the spiritual battle we have to fight on a daily basis as our spirit wages war with our flesh, and so on.

I sat quietly thinking of how to respond. Why is it that I find so much joy in following the Lord I wondered. Is it difficult for me at times? Absolutely! I realized at that very moment that when I try and depend on my own strength to endure in this life I fail miserably and the reward of eternal life seems to pale in the future, but when I depend on Christ alone (Philippians 4:13) for my strength and satisfaction that hope of eternal glory seems closer than ever. Of course this race we are running is hard, the Bible doesn't promise us anything but that. Jesus even reminds us in John 15:20 "Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also." How true is that. Sometimes reminding ourselves of what the perfect God-man Jesus Christ had to endure puts things into perspective. Our trials should turn into blessings and privileges because of the reward we will inherit, James 1:12, "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him."

Satan tries to lie to us to make us the most ineffective Christians as there is possible. If God has saved us nobody can snatch us from His hands but Satan will do the best he can to make you doubt, struggle, and compromise. We must be on guard putting on the armor of the Lord daily...especially in the Word which is our sword!

This life of faith is HARD...but it is so worth it, because one day we will enter into the kingdom of heaven and hear the precious words of the Creator of the universe, "Welcome Home!"

Waiting on the Lord

The past week has been one full of much stress, anxiety and anticipation. As Christmas, the end of school, my birthday, and other exciting things roll around it is easy to get overwhelmed and to become anxious. Meditating on Philippians 4:6-7 brought me a sense of peace and joy yet the pressure didn't seem to fade. Added to everything was an onset of emotions and confusion that brought even more chaos to my busy week. Because of all of this going on in daily life and swarming in my own head I have failed to stay faithful to trusting in the Lord and spending adequate time with Him. My desire and passion for Him began to slowly slip into the background as other things came to the forefront of my mind. All that said, as I sat in my room one night this week preaching to myself and seeking the Lord for clarity, wisdom, and discernment I turned to Psalms where I was sure I would find encouragement from the Psalmists who often too cried out to the Lord.
" 1 Give ear to my words, O LORD,
consider my sighing.

2 Listen to my cry for help,
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.

3 In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait in expectation.

4 You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil;
with you the wicked cannot dwell.

5 The arrogant cannot stand in your presence;
you hate all who do wrong.

6 You destroy those who tell lies;
bloodthirsty and deceitful men
the LORD abhors.

7 But I, by your great mercy,
will come into your house;
in reverence will I bow down
toward your holy temple.

8 Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness
because of my enemies—
make straight your way before me.

9 Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
their heart is filled with destruction.
Their throat is an open grave;
with their tongue they speak deceit.

10 Declare them guilty, O God!
Let their intrigues be their downfall.
Banish them for their many sins,
for they have rebelled against you.

11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

12 For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous;
you surround them with your favor as with a shield."

My heart began to cry out to the Lord as the Psalmist did here asking for the Lord to listen to my plea, my petition my prayer (as commanded in Philippians 4:6-7). Verse 3 brought so much comfort to my heart as I read the truth of God's Word in being reminded that as I lay my requests before the Lord I can be confident that HE will bring about good from it all and bring glory to Himself (Romans 8:28). Verse 11 reminds us to take refuge in the Lord...He is our shield! And then it hit me, how often I have to be reminded of this, but how awesome to know the TRUTH that the Creator of the Universe desires to have a relationship with me and to use me for His kingdom and glory...that baffles my mind.

I began to wonder why I was fretting, why I was so anxious, why I was so confused. The God of the Universe is holding me in the palm of His hands and He is sovereign over all and has it all under control despite the fact that I feel like it is chaos. It was a great reminder in waiting on the Lord. Psalm 37:7 says, "Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him". Living in a society that is self centered and instant it is easy to loose heart and to fall prey into not trusting the Lord and His timing. However we must remember God's ways are not our ways and His timing is not our timing. Waiting on Him, no matter how hard it is (and He gives us the strength through His Word and Spirit and prayer etc.), will in the end bring much fruit in our lives and glory to our King...so don't loose heart, just wait!

Satisfied

At chapel this Wednesday our RD Meredith spoke to the girls in CDUB about being completely satisfied in the Lord. After listening for about five minutes to what she had to say I realized how often I find satisfaction in other things despite how faithful the Lord truly is.

As humans we deserve eternal condemnation, hell, and separation from the living God for all of eternity, but in God's great favor and mercy He chose to redeem us and pluck us from the pit of eternal damnation that we might glory with Him forever in heaven. What a picture of faithfulness and unconditional love. As a fellow believer I often become numb or callous to the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ because of the countless times I have heard it preached, but how could I not hear that message and rejoice in what He has done!

It is a message of undeserving grace to a totally depraved sinner. Anything good is from Him alone and all else comes from the sinfulness of humanity. Why is it that I so quickly expect the Lord to do so many "good" things for me or expect to have countless "blessings" bestowed on my life? I have the most incredible gift, the only gift I could ever need anything else is just an added blessing, all of which I do NOT deserve. Therefore my satisfaction should be found in Him alone, in the cross of Christ! I should be thankful for the gift of grace and realize that anything good, any blessing (which are countless) comes from Him alone. I have more than I ever deserve or could ever need, I pray that He would be my complete satisfaction and that I wouldn't, in my pride, expect more to make me happy or satisfied, but find Him my all consuming passion!!

"Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days." -Psalm 90:14