For the past couple of Wednesday nights at church we've been discussing the parables in Matthew, specifically chapter 13. I guess I've always known the parables were there, but wasn't quite sure of how the related to my life here in the 21st century. Well, once again God proves me to be WRONG and showed me EXACTLY how parables relate to my life, and I hope they relate to yours as well. I want to focus on the parables we examined and discussed tonight, "The Parable's of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl" (writing that out it kind of sounds like a Pirates of the Carribean sequel). Anyway, so Matthew 13:44-46 reads:
"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it."
Now, when I first read through this I thought, "ok, simple...God wants us to give up everything to follow him." Well, it's soooo much more than that. Pastor May described this first man "stumbling" upon a treasure as a kid on Christmas day...so overly excited about the new toys that he forgets about all the other toys he has- not intentionally or to the point where he has LOST anything but GAINED something better (the new toy). This has been true in my life. (Insert SHORT version of my testimony) I was saved at age 9, on my parents bed with my mom leading me through the prayer. I was baptized shortly after that and thus began my beautiful, Christian journey. Fast forward ten years and I'm in college, about 238923908 miles from God and all His glory. All along thinking, "I really should go to church more, read my bible more, pray more, etc. but do I really want to give up this 'awesome' life I have? The parties, drinks, drugs, friends, etc." See, I felt that in order to BE a Christian, I had to LOSE everything...or in terms of the parable "sell" everything. However, those materialistic things and people were not everything, so it wasn't a great price to pay at all for the greatness of my salvation. This is what I feel a lot of people say when faced with Christianity, "well, I don't want to give up my life." But, someone very close to me once said, "God will change your heart, those things will no longer be the desires of your heart." In the case of the first man, he went in "his JOY" and sold everything, because he had found something of much greater worth. I can definitely relate to this first man in the parable because I know how it feels to JOYFULLY give up things of this world (or desperately try to) in order to gain the ultimate hidden treasure--my salvation and relationship with Jesus Christ. Now, lets talk about the merchant in verses 45-46. The merchant differs from the first man because he is out "looking" for fine pearls, the first man simply "stumbled upon" the hidden treasure. He was consciously searching for metaphorically "refuge from the darkness," or from material things...which explains why he also "sold everything he had." All in all, we cannot estimate the worth of salvation. But, Jesus gives us these parables to help us understand that we aren't losing anything in following him, but we are gaining everything--eternal life.
My prayer is this: "God, I joyfully rid my life of things of this world so that I may gain everything in you."
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Walk By Faith
I understand that it is nearly impossible for someone with vision to pretend that vision is gone. However, have you ever thought about someone who was born without vision? I mean, as much as I try to imagine being without sight, it is still so hard to truly embrace it. They must completely rely on everything/everyone around them to get them safely from point A to point B. This is what's been on my mind- walking by faith. I met with an old friend the other night, and we were discussing what this meant to walk by faith, and not sight. I want to fully rid my relationship with Christ of vision, and replace it simply with faith. Now, the question is how do I do this exactly? Well, God hasn't gotten me that far yet....stay tuned for the answer to that question! However, days like today where I just feel like I'm wandering around the world without a specific purpose I am reminded that I can't always LOOK for God's answers but I must feel them, and have a constant faith that He will answer...someway, somehow. God says, we can move mountains with the amount of faith of a mustard seed.
Which takes me to my next point in today's quiet time, do you know how small a mustard seed is? TINY! Last night in church we discussed the parable of the mustard seed and yeast. (Matthew 13:31-35). Granted, this is a very short parable, but it's packed with a greater meaning. A mustard seed is known for it's ability to start out very small and grow into a plant that reaches 10-15 feet high. In this parable Jesus says, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in it's branches." What I took from this parable is that God's kingdom started out small a million, billion years ago. However, from his 12 disciples he began to build onto this kingdom and today this kingdom stretches all over the world. What does this have to do with being sightless you may ask? If my sight were to be taken from me, I think I would have faith the size of a mustard seed. I would be forced to literally walk by faith, and not by what I could see around me. Even though my faith would start off very small, the more I began to put my faith in those helping around me, the larger my faith would grow (sometimes 10-15 ft high). Along with my actual faith growing, the kingdom of God would grow as well. Now, I'm not sure if today's blog actually makes a lot of sense, but this is what God has placed on my heart to share with you all today.
So, my prayer today is this: God, rid me of my sight (not physically, metaphorically) and show me how to walk by faith alone. Allow me to close my eyes, be still and listen for your voice.
Which takes me to my next point in today's quiet time, do you know how small a mustard seed is? TINY! Last night in church we discussed the parable of the mustard seed and yeast. (Matthew 13:31-35). Granted, this is a very short parable, but it's packed with a greater meaning. A mustard seed is known for it's ability to start out very small and grow into a plant that reaches 10-15 feet high. In this parable Jesus says, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in it's branches." What I took from this parable is that God's kingdom started out small a million, billion years ago. However, from his 12 disciples he began to build onto this kingdom and today this kingdom stretches all over the world. What does this have to do with being sightless you may ask? If my sight were to be taken from me, I think I would have faith the size of a mustard seed. I would be forced to literally walk by faith, and not by what I could see around me. Even though my faith would start off very small, the more I began to put my faith in those helping around me, the larger my faith would grow (sometimes 10-15 ft high). Along with my actual faith growing, the kingdom of God would grow as well. Now, I'm not sure if today's blog actually makes a lot of sense, but this is what God has placed on my heart to share with you all today.
So, my prayer today is this: God, rid me of my sight (not physically, metaphorically) and show me how to walk by faith alone. Allow me to close my eyes, be still and listen for your voice.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
You Are More
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwtcwQwgdsA&ob=av2e
I added a link for you guys above...it's a song that I am currently obsessed with. It explains everything I have been feeling for months now. I have a tendency to believing that I have sinned to the point where God could not/would not ever forgive me and erase those sins...but this song reminds me that I'm far from the truth. What a wonderful God we serve! No matter how far away we stray, He is still there with open arms ready to tell you how wonderful, beautiful and pure you are in His eyes. Today while I was driving home, this song came on and tears immediately began to stream down my eyes because I know how unworthy I am of His grace and love...yet He still gives it to me unconditionally every single day. I was in an immediate state of worship and full of the spirit...it was the best feeling I've had in awhile.
Something that's really been on my heart is sticking this out. I've been through this before (unfortunately), repenting, worshipping, praying, seeking...and yet I find myself sloowwly but surely being sucked into things of this world. I don't want that this time! I want to come back to the Father, where I was before I became someone I hated. So, I'm asking you guys to pray for me. Pray that God gives me strength and courage every single day to follow Him. I know I'll make mistakes, we aren't perfect though we should aim to be as perfect as Jesus every day...but I have peace because I know God is here to help me in this journey.
So, like I have been doing in my past posts I'd like to share a little bit about what my devotion was about today. It was called "Do Your Possessions Possess You?" This is something that everyone should be aware of, myself especially. We are on a constant search for the "American Dream;" big house, nice cars, expensive clothes, great jobs, etc. REALITY CHECK- the economy sucks and this will probably never happen to 50% of us. BUT, there's great news...we have a God that has reserved a wonderful mansion for each of His children in heaven. So, although I'm desperately broke here on earth...one day I will have that mansion I envy on Lake Norman! :) All joking aside, Jesus says, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and destroy. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21) It's not wrong to have possessions, but it's wrong to be possessed by them...to allow them to control who you are. For example: I love my cell phone, I generally tend to freak out if it isn't within arms-reach at all times. But, when I read this devotion today I reached over and turned it on silent so I wouldn't be bothered during my quiet time. I think it's really easy to get caught up in technology and the nice things I own, but God calls me to store my treasures in heaven...because nothing on earth will last forever. I feel that sometimes I'm so dependent on my possessions and I have no idea...like being crazy about where my phone is. I loved this quote from the devotion today: "Jesus calls us to seek Him and His kingdom first, then He'll take care of the rest." How reassuring is that?! As wonderful as I think my blackberry is now, I'm sure Jesus has a spectacular iphone 20 reserved for me up there. Another bit of scripture that I felt was relevant to this devotion was one we talked about in church last week, Matthew 13. It's the parable of the sower, definitely check it out...I won't ramble on here but I'll make ya curious enough to go read it (:
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
God has a sense of humor
It's funny that the devotional God sent me today in my book was about child-like faith, AND oddly enough my second interview tomorrow is at a preschool...working with children! The last sentence of the devotional said- "Take a look at the children around you and learn from them." It's all a part of God's plan for me in the right place at the right time tomorrow...observing children and learning to fully put my trust in Him. Not only can I observe children and how they seek the approval and guidance of adults, but I can observe how excited they get about the smallest things--going outside, tying their shoe laces, getting their favorite snacks, etc. Shouldn't we as Christians feel this way about God, everyday? Constantly watching him in awe, getting excited about each thing he teaches us and says to us individually. The answer would be yes, but as we all know in "adult world" it's a lot harder to always see the good in things.
That's what I miss most about being a kid, being so oblivious to the terrible things going on in the world all around us. As a kid I felt my biggest problem was learning to write in cursive, and when I finally mastered it...I basically wanted all the cake and ice cream in the world. The innocence of childhood is so precious, so precious in fact that we should mirror child-like behavior when it comes to God. He is our heavenly Father, and we are his children...ready to obey, follow and mirror His every move. It's easy to get frustrated by the things of this world, but when we turn to Jesus like a child running to mom after skinning his knee, He will comfort us with the biggest band-aid you've ever seen.
God must really be inspecting my heart here lately because He knows that I've been considering a career in childhood development. I'm not sure if I want to teach preschool, assistant teach, open a daycare, be a counselor or what He has in store for me, but I can feel Him calling me in towards that path. Having said that, He knew I could relate to having child-like faith, because it's part of what I want to do--watch children's behavior.
Today I was thinking back to a day at Camp Caswell when I went with my youth group in high school. I can remember that place being a very spirit-filled place on it's own...but the worship services left your heart wrenching, soul flying and your hands ready to do God's work. I re-dedicated my life one summer at Caswell, and I can still remember how it felt. If you've been saved, you know the feeling. The feeling that everything WILL be ok, that hope isn't lost for you, and that someone/something greater than you loves you more than you could ever know. In my lifetime, it is the greatest feeling I've ever had. This feeling, shouldn't be a "memory." It should be how I feel everyday when I wake up...like a child on Christmas morning! So, this is my prayer today: "Heavenly Father, remind me of the child-like faith I once had, and restore it in me again."
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
A Different Way of Thinking
First of all, I burned 300 calories at the gym today!!! That may not be a lot to some of you, but it's like a huge record-breaker for me. So I'm feeling pretty darn good and surprised that I'm still awake (and blogging) at midnight. But lately I've had a lot on my mind and I think I'll sleep better tonight if I just get some of it off my chest.
I've been doing a devotion everyday from a book called "Pure: A 90-day devotional for the mind, body and the spirit," by Rebecca St. James. This name may sound familiar- she is a very popular Christian musician. God knew what He was doing when He gave her the words to put into this book. Every time I read another devotion it just amazes me how I feel that this book was written for someone like me. Today's devotion was titled "A Different Way of Thinking" (hence the blog title). She talked about we can't "flirt" with the desires of this world AND be a friend of God's. It made me think of high school and how you were either in "this" group or "that" group...there was never an in between because that meant you couldn't be trusted. It hurts my heart to think that God couldn't trust me, ya know? But, like I said before, this devotion was focused on someone like myself.
Growing up in a small town I was your average "good-girl." Always made curfew, didn't drink, TRIED not to curse, felt like I was nice to everyone, had the boyfriend, the friends, a great family, etc. I was everything I WANTED to be and I didn't face issues of whether or not to drink, or do drugs, etc. because I never WANTED to do those things. It all changed when I went away to college. I felt that I was so desperate for people to accept me that I traded everything I loved about myself for everything I never thought I'd become. Needless to say, I totally dumped Jesus and everything that came along with him on the side of I-85 and I never looked back.
I give you this background story to help you understand why this devotion spoke to me. Ever since I moved back home, to my small, quiet town, I have felt like a "fence-sitter." I've got one leg on the good side and one leg on the bad side. The bible says: "If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God this way...." (James 4:4 The Message) How can I think I can play both sides and totally live a fulfilling life that way? It's true that every chance I get, I hurry to Charlotte and become a completely different person--a person consumed with what "the world" offers. As soon as I come home, I am someone else--trying to fill my life with God and not selfish desires. Case in point--I've got to cut this out! I am so thankful that I have a jealous heavenly Father who wants me all to himself! Isn't that what every girl dreams of? Someone who loves her unconditionally no matter what mistakes she's made, and who doesn't ever want to share her with others because he is so absolutely consumed with you?! I fear sharing this blog with people, such as my friends in Charlotte, because I'm afraid they won't understand...simply because I am someone entirely different there, than I am here. So, my prayer is this: "God, show me how to live a life that's more pleasing to you."
One more thing guys and I'm done for the night: I am starting a prayer journal, just where I write prayer requests down so I have them as a constant reminder to be in touch with God. If you have a prayer request, please let me know! I am the biggest believer in prayer...
I've been doing a devotion everyday from a book called "Pure: A 90-day devotional for the mind, body and the spirit," by Rebecca St. James. This name may sound familiar- she is a very popular Christian musician. God knew what He was doing when He gave her the words to put into this book. Every time I read another devotion it just amazes me how I feel that this book was written for someone like me. Today's devotion was titled "A Different Way of Thinking" (hence the blog title). She talked about we can't "flirt" with the desires of this world AND be a friend of God's. It made me think of high school and how you were either in "this" group or "that" group...there was never an in between because that meant you couldn't be trusted. It hurts my heart to think that God couldn't trust me, ya know? But, like I said before, this devotion was focused on someone like myself.
Growing up in a small town I was your average "good-girl." Always made curfew, didn't drink, TRIED not to curse, felt like I was nice to everyone, had the boyfriend, the friends, a great family, etc. I was everything I WANTED to be and I didn't face issues of whether or not to drink, or do drugs, etc. because I never WANTED to do those things. It all changed when I went away to college. I felt that I was so desperate for people to accept me that I traded everything I loved about myself for everything I never thought I'd become. Needless to say, I totally dumped Jesus and everything that came along with him on the side of I-85 and I never looked back.
I give you this background story to help you understand why this devotion spoke to me. Ever since I moved back home, to my small, quiet town, I have felt like a "fence-sitter." I've got one leg on the good side and one leg on the bad side. The bible says: "If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God this way...." (James 4:4 The Message) How can I think I can play both sides and totally live a fulfilling life that way? It's true that every chance I get, I hurry to Charlotte and become a completely different person--a person consumed with what "the world" offers. As soon as I come home, I am someone else--trying to fill my life with God and not selfish desires. Case in point--I've got to cut this out! I am so thankful that I have a jealous heavenly Father who wants me all to himself! Isn't that what every girl dreams of? Someone who loves her unconditionally no matter what mistakes she's made, and who doesn't ever want to share her with others because he is so absolutely consumed with you?! I fear sharing this blog with people, such as my friends in Charlotte, because I'm afraid they won't understand...simply because I am someone entirely different there, than I am here. So, my prayer is this: "God, show me how to live a life that's more pleasing to you."
One more thing guys and I'm done for the night: I am starting a prayer journal, just where I write prayer requests down so I have them as a constant reminder to be in touch with God. If you have a prayer request, please let me know! I am the biggest believer in prayer...
Monday, September 12, 2011
A Fresh Beginning
Ok, so I am an avid tweeter, facebooker and emailer so the next step was to become a blogger! I have to be honest, I've never been big on blogs but this whole un-employment thing leaves me a lot of free time. So what better way to fill my time then to post my thoughts for you fine people to read. :)
First of all, I will give props to Nicole Sykes for my two latest electronic creations/obsessions: blogging and pinterest. If you haven't heard of it...seriously, check it out it will make you want to rearrange your whole life. For example: I just moved into a new house which is stressful enough in itself because the amount of decoration is overwhelming (especially because this house was built in the 1950's). So, I have lots of empty, boring things that could use some "sprucing up," and this website is PERFECT. I love how they take average things you probably have stored in your attic and show you how to incorporate them into the decor of your home! Anyway, the first idea I took from this website was this:
book table
I know this is clearly something so simple to think of, but when I saw it I was like "wow! that's what I can do with all of those books I have!" Since we moved to a smaller house, my room is significantly smaller than my last one so I had to eliminate a bedside table. This is extremely difficult because I read every night before bed. So I have no where to put my book, a lamp or remotes. So, I'm hoping when I create my "book table" tomorrow it will help me out some.
My first blog isn't very long, but that's ok. The more I start to blog, the better at it I will become...I hope. Please feel free to comment on my blogs! I love to hear feedback (:
First of all, I will give props to Nicole Sykes for my two latest electronic creations/obsessions: blogging and pinterest. If you haven't heard of it...seriously, check it out it will make you want to rearrange your whole life. For example: I just moved into a new house which is stressful enough in itself because the amount of decoration is overwhelming (especially because this house was built in the 1950's). So, I have lots of empty, boring things that could use some "sprucing up," and this website is PERFECT. I love how they take average things you probably have stored in your attic and show you how to incorporate them into the decor of your home! Anyway, the first idea I took from this website was this:
book table
I know this is clearly something so simple to think of, but when I saw it I was like "wow! that's what I can do with all of those books I have!" Since we moved to a smaller house, my room is significantly smaller than my last one so I had to eliminate a bedside table. This is extremely difficult because I read every night before bed. So I have no where to put my book, a lamp or remotes. So, I'm hoping when I create my "book table" tomorrow it will help me out some.
My first blog isn't very long, but that's ok. The more I start to blog, the better at it I will become...I hope. Please feel free to comment on my blogs! I love to hear feedback (:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)