Tuesday, February 26, 2013

reflections


Sometimes I tell God that He is just way to good to me. The love, the joy, the blessings, the grace…that he lavishes me with never cease to amaze me. And I am soooo grateful, because its an incredible reality to live in.

Yesterday afternoon I had the privilege to go with my Mom to visit her Uncle, who lost his wife 8 months ago. He is a lonely man. But He is also an extremely well known man in our area. Im really glad that I went with her because it was really cool to just hear him talk about him learning how to deal with his wife’s death and grieving, and then to hear him talk about the people who he runs into (mostly highschool/college age kids), and how they tell him how much of an impact he has made on their lives. and to hear him talk about these people and how blown away he is by the love they show him and how great of a ministry and impact for Christ he has to these sports players. He just loves on them. He is the grandpa to many of these players who don’t have grandparents. and He receives that!

There always seem to be times in life where certain topics or themes just keep coming up everywhere, and right now for me its FAITH and that God truly does use us to make a difference/impact in people’s lives.
Do you know what kind of impact you are having on people?
Do you know that you are even impacting people?

God is so good. He uses us. to build His Kingdom.
What a privilege.

 

VERSE OF THE DAY:
”For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:10

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Hallelujah, Holy Holy

 

I love corporate worship. Sometimes, when I can hear numerous voices singing as one, i ask God what that sounds like to Him? It has to be so much more beautiful than I can even imagine. Those are my favorite moments in times of worship, when everyone is singing as one and you can just hear voices being lifted up as an offering and praise to Jesus, and I can only imagine what those moments are like in heaven, with the cherubim, and the angels, and all creatures with one voice praising God crying Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty!

We think its amazing now…just wait….it only gets better!
#pumped
(yeah, i just hashtagged in a blog…)

 

VERSE OF THE DAY:
”And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying ‘To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and mighty forever and ever!.’”
Revelation 5:13

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Are you disciplined?

 

Yesterday morning, I woke up earlier than what I typically do on a normal day. And what I found…was that i was so much more full of the joy of the LORD. My day was really incredible actually. And I know I had a really great Jesus time at the coffee shop Tuesday night, which was much needed, so that may have played a bit into it, but this spurs me on to want to become more disciplined in waking up early.

For a while I was quite disciplined in my mornings, but recently, I’m just always so tired, that it’s become super difficult to wake up sometimes and all I want to do is just lay in bed. But there is something special to getting up early in the mornings, and spending time with Jesus.

Discipline helps bring joy. and I need more discipline, I’ve allowed myself to get lazy in the things that are important to me, which is not okay.
So right now, I’m thankful for discipline, and the practice of it. I also love that God, in the midst of it, when we say we want to commit to something, will hold us to it, then it’s up to us whether we allow Him to continue to hold us to it or not. This morning, He had me awake before my alarm, which makes it a lot easier to get up and which also rarely happens these days, but I’m hoping and praying this is going to become my new normal. Because i like it a lot.

God is good folks. He speaks, He moves, be disciplined enough to hear Him, to see Him, to spend time with Him, because He is jealous for you and desires to be with you.

 

VERSE OF THE DAY:
”For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”
Hebrews 9:13-14

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Quality Time

 

Sometimes I get really inspired by certain people. But this inspiration, only comes by spending time with them.
This year so far, I have been able to spend more time with the guys and girls in the ministry than I did last year, and I honestly have no clue why that has changed, because I don’t think my schedule has really changed. But without understanding it, I am extremely grateful for it, because I get to see what God is doing in their lives and see how He is molding them, and even be inspired by their gifts and hearts for God.
It makes me love God so much more, when I can look at the people in my community, and love and appreciate them more and more each time I’m with them.

It’s amazing God’s capacity of love, unconditionally…and when we semi-understand it because we will never fully grasp it in our earthly limitations, and live in that love, its amazing the capacity we can allow God’s love to control us and flow through us! and what we can feel, and choose to do for people simply because we love them, because God first loved them!

 

VERSE OF THE DAY:
”This is the day the LORD has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
Psalm 118:24

Monday, February 18, 2013

God, our Sustainer.

 

This past weekend OTW went to Michigan for a retreat. We did the speaking, skits, and worship. I was involved in the worship part of it. And one thing I realized….is that worshipping, with all you’ve got, back to back can be extremely tiring. Especially when your not feeling good. But what spoke to me most this weekend, was how much God sustains us in those moments!

When we feel so tired, and have no energy. But as soon as you step up to go and worship Him (whether that is through song/music, or through speaking, or acting and being silly or serious, or talking to people), God will sustain you and be your energy. Because it is not about us being tired or weak, it is about Him receiving glory! And I saw that alive this weekend. And I’m extremely grateful that God is jealous for His name, and that when we are out serving Him, He sustains us! For His name’s sake!

 

VERSE OF THE DAY:
”Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
Colossians 3:2

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

FAITH

 

God is answering my prayer to become a woman of faith.
  I love that God hears us, especially when what we want and what we are praying for, is aligned with what He wants for us. Of course He wants me to be a woman of faith, so of course He will make me one when I ask to become one!

Ive been absolutely amazes this last week at how FREEING it is, to have faith.
To truly believe God at His word. Everything that His Word says, you believe wholeheartedly. I can honestly say this is the first that when I read the Bible, and see and hear the promises of God and all that He is and all that He has for us as His children and all the truth about me and my fellow brethren, that I BELIEVE with all my heart. And that in that, there is absolutely no pride.
I can confidently say who I am and what God is doing in and through me and not feel bad about it, because its true. that is believing God with all your heart. when your heart does not condemn you.

and its so freeing.
My prayer now is that everyone can get to this point of faith and belief. Because I see so many people like me, who think and say they believe, but are still so bound by unbelief and doubt.
I love  God, and that he has given us faith, and that we can grow in it. So thankful. And the thing that baffles me is, faith is so key to salvation, yet it seems that we cant even start to understand it until we’ve come to a place of utter reliance and focus on Christ, and lay ourselves down, realizing that we truly cannot do anything.
Faith is a gift from God.

I believe that faith grows with spiritual maturity.
And selfishness lessons with spiritual maturity.

 

VERSE OF THE DAY:
”…for if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
2 Peter 1:8

*are you bearing fruit?
*are you effective for the kingdom of God?
*do you have the qualities verses 5-7 talk about?!

Monday, February 11, 2013

sabbath

 

I love how songs can just say what your heart sometimes just doesn’t know how to say. I love how God has gifted people with being able to write such things down, and has even given us in His Word songs to sing!
I love that music without words, can even be a worship experience.
God has created everything good, sin has just corrupted it.

I love that God has given me a heart of worship, and numerous ways to worship Him. I especially love the vehicle of music, for worship. Tis a privilege and a special part of my relationship with Christ!
I’m also thankful for times to just get away, and be with Him. To read, to blog, to listen to music, to study, to email, to reflect, to sing, to chill, to talk.
Thankful that God is with me always, and that He is so personal.

I love God’s relationship with me, and never want to stop falling more in love with Him.

GRATEFUL. and IN LOVE.

 

VERSE OF THE DAY:
”Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.”
Romans 14:13

Monday, February 4, 2013

Love is a choice

 

Love is a choice. I forget this often.
And once you choose to love, you accept people for who they are.
And when you do that, you see with new eyes.
And with these new eyes, you see potential. you see yourself. you see hurt and pain. you see joy and peace. you see hearts intentions. you see love.

love those you are with. for you will not always have them with you.

 

 

VERSE OF THE DAY:
”For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:23