One thing my mind has been pretty engulfed with lately has been the idea of praising God through everything, with everything. Does this Almighty God we have only deserve praise in the happy times, in the sad times? He's always working His plan. He's always looking at the big picture. He's always working things together for our good. Does that not deserve constant praise?
I've been reading through the book of Job this month. What a guy Job is. He's stripped of everything that he has yet He looks up towards God and praises Him. He's so solid on the foundation on which he stands. It blows my mind!
There are so many little things in life I pass by so often, and I don't even take the moments I have to praise God for them.
On my way to track practice Monday I headed outside a little early to scrap off the windows. As I scrapped them off, I looked closely at the snowflakes so perfectly placed on there. The thought that our God created every single one of those snowflakes is absolutely crazy to me. He's a God of such detail. The idea that He could tell me how many hairs are on my head while He has a million other things to take care of only reassures me that much more to hand over the pieces of my life to Him.
Tuesday as I headed to track practice I walked outside to what seemed to be a gloomy day. As I approached our parked car, I noticed the small drops of rain falling on it; only the day before was I scrapping off the windshield. As track presumed the slow mist stopped, the clouds abandoned the skies, and the sun took it's place. God has control. He has a plan. He can change the weather. He can change the heart. He can work miracles. Although the weather He controls is ever changing. The God of this universe isn't. He's constant. He's perfect.
Lately I've been praying for God to put a thirst in my heart to follow Him, to see a glimpse of His glory, and to see Him in everything. As I drove to practice today I couldn't believe the brightness of the sun. When I was younger, riding in the car, I'd always close my eyes to the glorious sun. It's instinct. As I drove on today, I wished to close my eyes, I thought of putting on some sunglasses in order to see better. Than it hit me. This is a taste of God's glory. This is only a small idea of how bright His glory actually shines. Today the perspective of the bright shining sun was different. I understood it as an answered prayer. A glimpse of His glory has always been right in front of me. It made me think: Is that what I do? Do I close my eyes to glory that God shines ever so brightly in front of me everyday? Do I play down the glory He displays in my life to be comfortable? My prayer has changed. Rather than seeing the glimpse of God's glory- I pray to be a reflection of God's glory. I pray to bring Him praise.
Don't forget to take time out of your day to praise God. He's glorious.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Modesty..? Yes, please. :)
Modesty is something I often wonder about. Every part of me believes that how you respect your body shows a reflection of who you are on the inside. As a girl I struggle to know the lines sometimes of where something becomes immodest. It's certainly not an excuse by any means though.
Credit goes to my friend, Jennie, for introducing me to this site. Check it out!
http://www.therebelution.com/modestysurvey/
-This site was a survey given to Christian guys ages 12 & up on the topic of modesty. They surveyed on approximately 148 questions that give a slight idea into the minds of guys, and the daily temptations they face concerning modesty for women. Girls, I highly encourage you to check it out. It's pretty eye opening.
What does God have to say about this?
"Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity." 1 Timothy 5:1-2
-Honestly there is something about this verse that makes me want to read it over, and over, and over, and you get the idea. The thought of treating older men and women as my father and mother, and younger men and women as my brothers and sisters is such a brilliant way to put it into perspective, and such an incredible call from God. Not only does He call on us to treat them as mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters, but with absolute purity- meaning not looking on others with lustful eyes, or causing others to look at you with lustful eyes.
"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
-Our bodies belong to God, and in order to redeem them He payed a price that was irreplaceable- the blood of His own son, so we could possibly be set free from bondage! The Holy Spirit resides in the center of a believers heart! He lives within us! When we dishonor our bodies, we aren't the only one it affects, it affects our pure, and holy Creator also. Should we not respect our bodies, and make it a place of luxury for him to reside?
Sisters in Christ, I encourage you to pray for your brothers in Christ that they may be able to keep their hearts pure. Dress modestly. Support them. Have their backs!
Brothers in Christ, I encourage you to pray for your sisters in Christ that we would respect our bodies the way Christ has intended us to do. Fight the temptation. We love you. We look up to you!
More thoughts to come as I'm jumping into the book of Job this month! I can hear God emphasize what I need to hear. It's a sweet melody to my ears. :)
Credit goes to my friend, Jennie, for introducing me to this site. Check it out!
http://www.therebelution.com/modestysurvey/
-This site was a survey given to Christian guys ages 12 & up on the topic of modesty. They surveyed on approximately 148 questions that give a slight idea into the minds of guys, and the daily temptations they face concerning modesty for women. Girls, I highly encourage you to check it out. It's pretty eye opening.
What does God have to say about this?
"Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity." 1 Timothy 5:1-2
-Honestly there is something about this verse that makes me want to read it over, and over, and over, and you get the idea. The thought of treating older men and women as my father and mother, and younger men and women as my brothers and sisters is such a brilliant way to put it into perspective, and such an incredible call from God. Not only does He call on us to treat them as mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters, but with absolute purity- meaning not looking on others with lustful eyes, or causing others to look at you with lustful eyes.
"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
-Our bodies belong to God, and in order to redeem them He payed a price that was irreplaceable- the blood of His own son, so we could possibly be set free from bondage! The Holy Spirit resides in the center of a believers heart! He lives within us! When we dishonor our bodies, we aren't the only one it affects, it affects our pure, and holy Creator also. Should we not respect our bodies, and make it a place of luxury for him to reside?
Sisters in Christ, I encourage you to pray for your brothers in Christ that they may be able to keep their hearts pure. Dress modestly. Support them. Have their backs!
Brothers in Christ, I encourage you to pray for your sisters in Christ that we would respect our bodies the way Christ has intended us to do. Fight the temptation. We love you. We look up to you!
More thoughts to come as I'm jumping into the book of Job this month! I can hear God emphasize what I need to hear. It's a sweet melody to my ears. :)
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Aquire the Fire, Bible, and Prayer. Some thoughts.
Acquire the Fire.
I won't lie. It was probably the best weekend of my life. The valley that I've so long been walking through, had now come to the beginning of the real climb of the mountain. I can't wait to see the view, but for now I am going to enjoy each step I take to the top. The worship, the concerts, the fellowship, and the unbelievable presence of God has me floating on the clouds. It was the extra spark to the fire that I have been thirsting for for the last while. Thank you God for the answered prayer.
For this month I'm reading through the book of Acts. There are 28 chapters, 28 days! It seemed perfect to me! Just some food for thought ten minutes of reading the Bible a day will be WAY more affective then the extra ten minutes you'll gain by not reading it. I promise.
Another thing that's been heavy on my heart lately has been prayer. I just want my conversation with God to be completely continual throughout the day, but with that a friend has been heavy on my heart lately. They are such a huge blessing, and influence on me so I plan to for the next year to pray for them everyday. I encourage anyone who feels called to do this for one of their friends to do the same! I'm very excited for this, and I'm overly excited to see the plans God has for their life!
I won't lie. It was probably the best weekend of my life. The valley that I've so long been walking through, had now come to the beginning of the real climb of the mountain. I can't wait to see the view, but for now I am going to enjoy each step I take to the top. The worship, the concerts, the fellowship, and the unbelievable presence of God has me floating on the clouds. It was the extra spark to the fire that I have been thirsting for for the last while. Thank you God for the answered prayer.
For this month I'm reading through the book of Acts. There are 28 chapters, 28 days! It seemed perfect to me! Just some food for thought ten minutes of reading the Bible a day will be WAY more affective then the extra ten minutes you'll gain by not reading it. I promise.
Another thing that's been heavy on my heart lately has been prayer. I just want my conversation with God to be completely continual throughout the day, but with that a friend has been heavy on my heart lately. They are such a huge blessing, and influence on me so I plan to for the next year to pray for them everyday. I encourage anyone who feels called to do this for one of their friends to do the same! I'm very excited for this, and I'm overly excited to see the plans God has for their life!
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