Thursday, December 15, 2011

without complaining or arguing

do everything without complaining or arguing. // philippians 2:14

God has really been working on my heart in the area of complaining. i was meditating on this verse a few weeks ago, and i broke it down piece by piece

i noticed that do is an action oriented verb, it isn't passive or lazy.

everything is all encompassing, from the little, mundane things in life (ie. washing dishes) to the big things in life. since God has said everything, it must mean all instances in life are important to Him.

without is completely free from, not even allowing a hint of anything.

i realized that complaining encompasses my words AND my actions. i normally think of complaining just by my words but after meditating, i feel like i need to be careful in my actions as well. for example, not doing something that needs to be done is another way to complain. ie. not cleaning my home when i need to and instead doing something fun or relaxing. i am in a sense complaining (even though it isn't verbally) about how i don't want to clean my home by showing it through my actions or idleness and not being diligent to complete my tasks.

arguing means not fighting with or tearing others' down with my words.

i am so grateful to God for how He is changing me, i am absolutely unable to do it on my own!

Monday, December 12, 2011

Christ's precious blood // c. spurgeon

“The precious blood of Christ.” 1 Peter 1.19

Standing at the foot of the cross, we see hands, and feet, and side, all distilling crimson streams of precious blood. It is “precious” because of its redeeming and atoning efficacy. By it the sins of Christ’s people are atoned for; they are redeemed from under the law; they are reconciled to God, made one with him. Christ’s blood is also “precious” in its cleansing power; it “cleanseth from all sin.” “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” Through Jesus’ blood there is not a spot left upon any believer, no wrinkle nor any such thing remains. O precious blood, which makes us clean, removing the stains of abundant iniquity, and permitting us to stand accepted in the Beloved, notwithstanding the many ways in which we have rebelled against our God. The blood of Christ is likewise “precious” in its preserving power. We are safe from the destroying angel under the sprinkled blood. Remember it is God’s seeing the blood which is the true reason for our being spared. Here is comfort for us when the eye of faith is dim, for God’s eye is still the same. The blood of Christ is “precious” also in its sanctifying influence. The same blood which justifies by taking away sin, does in its after-action, quicken the new nature and lead it onward to subdue sin and to follow out the commands of God. There is no motive for holiness so great as that which streams from the veins of Jesus. And “precious,” unspeakably precious, is this blood, because it has an overcoming power. It is written, “They overcame through the blood of the Lamb.” How could they do otherwise?

He who fights with the precious blood of Jesus, fights with a weapon which cannot know defeat. The blood of Jesus! sin dies at its presence, death ceases to be death: heaven’s gates are opened. The blood of Jesus! we shall march on, conquering and to conquer, so long as we can trust its power!

Sunday, November 27, 2011

beautiful poem

a beautiful poem read in church today before communion...

Christ was all anguish that I might be all joy,
cast off that I might be brought in,
beaten down as an enemy that I might be welcomed as a friend,
stripped that I might be clothed,
wounded that I might be healed,
tormented that I might be comforted,
made a shame that I might have eternal life.

My Savior wept that all tears might be wiped from my eyes,
bore a thorny crown that I might have a glory diadem,
bowed his head that I might uplift mine,
closed his eyes in death that I might live forever.

Monday, November 14, 2011

psalm 13



thank you Jesus.

Friday, July 1, 2011

hope

i'm in a waiting time in my life. i came across how the CEV translates psalm 27.14:

Trust the LORD!

Be brave and strong

and trust the LORD.

times of waiting on the Lord can be hard, especially in an instant gratification society. this translation brings hope to my heart. may it bring hope to yours today.


Wednesday, June 29, 2011

a puritan prayer

The All-Good

MY GOD,

Thou hast helped me to see,
that whatever good be in honour and rejoicing,
how good is He who gives them,
and can withdraw them;
that blessedness does not lie so much
in receiving good from and in Thee,
but in holding forth Thy glory and virtue;
that it is an amazing thing to see Deity
in a creature, speaking, acting,
filling, shining through it;
that nothing is good but Thee,
that I am near good when I am near Thee,
that to be like Thee is a glorious thing:
This is my magnet, my attraction.

Thou art all my good in times of peace,
my only support in days of trouble,
my one sufficiency when life shall end.

Help me to see how good Thy will is in all,
and even when it crosses mine
teach me to be pleased with it.

Grant me to feel Thee in fire, and food and every providence,
and to see that Thy many gifts and creatures
are but Thy hands and fingers taking hold of me.

Thou bottomless fountain of all good,
I give myself to Thee out of love,
for all I have or own is thine,
my goods, family, church, self,
to do with as Thou wilt,
to honour Thyself by me, and by all mine.

If it be consistent with Thy eternal counsels,
the purpose of Thy grace,
and the great ends of Thy glory,
then bestow upon me the blessings of
Thy comforts;

If not, let me resign myself to
Thy wiser determinations.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

an excellent wife

eye-opening & wonderful read here on what being an excellent wife means.
i reposted the article below. may His Spirit work in your heart as you read it:

An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. -- Proverbs 31:10

I often believe my husband has not found an excellent wife. When he tells me I have been short with him lately, overreacting and snapping unneccesarily, I am discouraged at my lack of excellence. Impatience and disrespect have brought embarrassment to him on several occasions.

My task-oriented, performance-driven heart attempts to fix itself by making a list: An excellent wife cooks with organic food (not Velveeta), sews her own clothing (or at least irons her husbands shirts!), speaks only words dripping with grace (and not sarcasm) and reads her Bible for hours on end (okay, minutes?!)).

The list brings more condemnation; concrete evidence that I cannot be an excellent wife on my own.

Forged not Found

While all of these things can be signs of excellence, they are definitely not requirements. Turning to Scripture for comfort and conviction, I am reminded: An excellent wife is not found but forged. No man goes out and finds a woman that is pure wife perfection and marries her. Neither of them truly know what that even looks like yet!

It is the character of God, and not our husbands, that can be fully and firmly trusted. Our core identity must be anchored in Christ alone.

A godly woman becomes an excellent wife as she understands she is made in the image of God, re-made in the image of Christ and formed over a lifetime of repentance and redemption. Excellence is not measured by a to-do list; it is manifested in the life of a wife who knows Jesus intimately.


Bringing Shame

An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones. -- Proverbs 12:4

When I humbly and honestly assess the times I bring my husband shame, I am sobered by its destruction. To bring rottenness to his bones means mine are already disintegrating with unbelief and bitterness. We bring shame as wives when we:

  1. Focus on our husband’s sin
  2. Think our way is better, prioritizing ourselves over him
  3. Speak harshly to him or derogatively about him to anyone
  4. Withhold blessing, prayer, sex, or encouragement of any sort in an effort to punish, manipulate, or “get the message across”

The wife who brings shame to her husband is the daughter who does not truly know and trust her heavenly Father.

If the wife’s identity is centered around her man, she will certainly deliver shame when he disappoints – as he will inevitably do. It is the character of God, and not our husbands, that can be fully and firmly trusted. Our core identity must be anchored in Christ alone.

Made Precious by Jesus

We are made precious by Jesus. This heart transformation is the basis for any preciousness that our husbands experience in us. It is not about what we do but what our precious Savior has done for us that graces us with the power to be excellent wives. We are helpless on own own.

Excellence is not measured by a to-do list; it is manifested in the life of a wife who knows Jesus intimately.

A godly wife understands that she is nothing outside of the saving grace of Jesus Christ and has no excellence apart from Him. Christ’s grace and love are precious to her. Fueled by his riches, she will become a glorious crown to her husband as she helps, nurtures and loves him from the depths of Christ’s righteousness in her.

It takes a 10 minute ceremony to become a wife. It takes a lifetime to become an excellent wife – one who understands that Christ’s shed blood on the cross is needed to offer excellence to our husbands.

Friday, June 17, 2011

hymn

i've recently been reading wayne grudem's systematic theology. fabulous, fabulous read! i'm loving this verse from an old hymn i found in his book.

chosen not for good in me, wakened up from wrath to flee, hidden in the Savior's side, by the Spirit sanctified, teach me Lord on earth to show, by my love, how much i owe. // r.m. mccheyne

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

waiting time

jim elliot wrote this during a 'waiting time' in his life, before he was a missionary or martyred for his faith. it's so encouraging to me, as i am in a 'waiting time' in my life. may i have faith like jim elliot! hope this encourages you during those 'waiting times' in your life.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

His promises

Blessed is she who has BELIEVED that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her! // luke 1.45
our God is so incredibly faithful. i hope this encourages you today.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

things above

i am striving to do this daily, with Jesus' help.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

eternal joy

this is part of a fantastic article found here.

"Our Eternal Joy Is Yet to Come
My aching heart is learning to believe that being a mother is not my ultimate happiness. I understand, in a way I never did before, that this world is not a place where we will feel eternal joy. When the people of God finally stand before Christ, who took the punishment for their sin, they will feel the fulfilling, eternal joy that they long to feel here on earth. God has not promised those who belong to him a quick and easy road to heaven, but he does get us there, he promises. Until then, he’s assured us he is “near the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18)."

how sweet & wonderful it will be when we finally stand before Jesus & have eternal joy. i can't wait for heaven!

Friday, May 13, 2011

adoption

If 7% of the world's Christians adopted ONE child,
there would be no orphans in the world.

this statistic is haunting me.

Monday, May 2, 2011

proverbs 31

meditating on this today:
she watches over the affairs of her household & does not eat the bread of idleness. // proverbs 31.27

i like this definition of the bread of idleness. the bread of idleness can be called 'the carbohydrate of idleness – the most common source of energy, but no essential nutrients.'

how are you looking to energize yourself today? are you eating carbohydrates of idleness or coming to the table of the Father?

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

kingdom heart

encouraging read on how to have a kingdom heart.

"When a woman has a kingdom heart, she has an active understanding of what matters most to the heart of God. She lives in the balance of passion and contentment. She learns to love well, give without regard to self, and forgive without hesitation. The woman with a kingdom heart may have a duffel bag full of possessions or enough treasures to fill a mansion, but she has learned to hold them with an open hand. Hold everything with open hands. I don't think we are ever allowed to grab hold of anything or anyone as though they matter more than the kingdom of heaven. When you hold relationships with open hands, then people come in and out of your life as gifts of grace to be cherished and enjoyed, not objects to be owned and manipulated. And then when you hold your dreams with open hands, you get to watch God resurrect what seemed dead and multiply what seemed small." // author unknown

are your hands open today?

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

choosing joy

great devotional on choosing joy daily.

Joy Is a Decision
by Dr. Steven C. Riser
Texts: Psalm 16:11; Philippians 4:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; John 15: 9-13
Introduction: A Great Need in Our Country Today

In his book To Laugh Again, Chuck Swindoll says, “I know of no greater need today than the need for joy. Unexplainable, contagious joy. Our country seems to have lost its spirit of fun and laughter….” God wills for us to be Spirit-controlled and joy-filled people. As a friend once said, “Most of us need to lighten up.” In this harsh economic down turn, a grimness has taken over many faces. We have a realistic reason to rejoice!
Three questions for consideration: What is joy? Where is it to be found? How can we recover it, if we lost it? Because I believe a lack of joy is a spiritual issue, let me share with you a good word from the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Let’s look to God’s Word to help stoke the fires of joy within our souls.
I. Joy Is an Indirect Choice – It is a Byproduct of Something Else – 1 Thessalonians 5:16
What is Joy?
1. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) and a byproduct of remaining in God’s love (John 15:9-11).
2. “Joy is the flag we fly from the castle tower of our hearts when the King is in residence there” (Eph. 5:18).
3. Joy is the exultation of my inward being that comes from genuine harmony with God, myself and others.
First, Christian joy is not so much a feeling as it is a choice! Verse 16 says: “Be joyful always!” Not sometimes. But some will immediately respond, “How can I possibly be always joyful with the hurts, the pains and the difficulties that God has allowed to enter my life?” That’s a fair question but God has a good answer.
We can make a distinction between joy and happiness: happiness being dependent on external circumstances, while joy is internal, a result of being controlled by the Spirit. Some people consider happiness to be a feeling dependent on circumstances and usually restricted to moments when life is going well. Joy is an inner serenity of the soul, rooted not in circumstances but in a choice to trust God’s faithfulness, regardless of what is happening externally.
There is an interesting story about Nathaniel Hawthorne. One day he came home heartbroken, feeling like a failure because he had been fired from his job. His wife made this response: “Now you can write your book!” “What are we going to live on in the meantime?” asked her husband. Then she pulled out a substantial amount of money, and said, “I have always known you were a man of genius. I knew that someday you would write a masterpiece. So every week, out of the
money you gave me for housekeeping, I saved a little bit. Here is enough to last us for a whole year.” Greeting her husband’s apparent defeat with joy, optimism and expectancy, the door was opened for him to write one of the greatest novels of American literature, The Scarlet Letter.
Jesus serves this function in the lives of believers. He greets us with surprising resources to cope when our own reservoirs are empty – when we face problems for which there seem to be no solutions. We can do anything God wants us to do through Christ who strengthens us (Phil. 4:13).
If it was in my power to give you the gift of being able to trust God’s love and goodness, no matter how violent a storm might be raging right now in your life, I would give it to you. The truth is that no one can do for you what God expects you to do. Joy is a choice! Trusting that, with God, there are no impossible circumstances, enables us to live as victors rather than victims. It’s when our future looks the bleakest that our Lord provides the biggest surprises. Tim Hansel reminds us from his own life of pain: “Pain is inevitable, but misery is optional.”
There are several reasons why joy is a decision:
1) John 15:11: “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” What do “these things” mean? “These things” refer to what Jesus said prior to John 15:11. For example, John 15:9-10: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.” Do you see the sequence? Verse 9 – to have joy you have to abide in God’s love; verse 10 – to abide in God’s love you have to obey God’s commands.
2) Joy is the result (fruit) of being controlled by the Holy Spirit and that is a decision to obey God’s command: a) The Condition – submit to the Spirit’s control (Eph. 5:18); b) The Result – first love, and then comes joy (Gal. 5:22ff)! Joy is a choice but it is an indirect choice and a byproduct of something else – our experience of God’s love.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Paul offers a second step toward the discovery of joy:
II. Pray Continually! – 1 Thessalonians 5:17
“Always keep on praying.”
Just as we’re to rejoice always, we’re to pray continually. Prayer gives us the privilege of leveraging God’s resources with our own. Prayer is putting our hand into God’s hand, so that when we confront what appears to be overwhelming waves (challenges), we won’t sink. In prayer we are practicing the presence of God. Psalm 16:11: “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” When things get tough, pray like a child firmly hanging on to the hand of a loving parent. “O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.” We can’t abide in Christ’s love without having a strong, vital personal relationship with Him, can we? (Jn. 15:1-8)
Praying for others can also lead us to joy because it takes our focus off our own needs and personal preferences. Have you ever been in a worship service when something happened that was not to your liking? Instead of complaining, why not pray that the worship experience would be meaningful to the others who are present?
Paul said, while in prison, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4)
Our source of joy is God, not our circumstances. Where are we to rejoice? “In the Lord.” (Phil. 4:4) There is always cause for rejoicing in who God is!
1 Thessalonians 5:18 gives us a third step to help rediscover joy:
III. Give Thanks in All Circumstances – 1 Thessalonians 5:18
“No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” Or … “Give thanks in all circumstances. [Why?] Because this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
There’s an extremely high correlation between joy-filled people and thankful people. To put it another way, the joy-filled people I know are thankful. How many ungrateful people do you know that are happy? Zero!
Maybe we don’t understand what God is doing in our lives, but we trust Him anyway and we thank Him in advance. “When we don’t understand his plan, when we can’t trace his hand, we can always trust his heart.”
People who please God by obeying God are joyful (John 15:9).
People who please God by loving God/others are joyful (John 15:10, 14).
People who please God by being grateful are joyful (1 Thess. 5:16-18).
One of the great barriers to gratitude ... and thus to joy ... is comparison. Do you know the favorite expression of those addicted to comparison is? “It isn’t fair!” Have you ever met person who always compared himself unfavorable with others? That’s the recipe for misery, isn’t it?
Some time ago, Jack Hayford was invited to the White House along with some other Pastors and he was feeling pretty good about the honor until he discovered that Bill Hybels had been invited to come and spend the day before and stay all night in the White House! When he compared himself with Bill Hybels he said he lost his joy in visiting the President. With whom are you comparing your life? Of course, life isn’t fair! Life is difficult and often unfair. But, comparison and complaining will squeeze joy right out of your heart and right out of your life!
It is so easy to compare ourselves with those who: 1) Have families when we feel alone. 2) Have money when our bank account is empty. 3) Are in good health when we suffer from poor health, etc. It’s hard to envy someone you don’t compare yourself with, isn’t it? Comparison is an invitation to envy!
Giving thanks in all circumstances means we understand that God has a different plan for each of His children. Every person has his or her own sorrows and disappointments. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Paul says, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” For who? For YOU! Accepting this truth, can be a step to rediscovering joy, without a change in your circumstances. Today, if you lose your joy, it’s possible to laugh again. The word “rejoice” means to find or rediscover joy again.
Ten Biblical Resources for Choosing Joy
1. Make a list of God’s blessings. This gives you scheduled time to focus on the blessings God has given you – they are a source of joy. This is so incredibly simple that most of you will think it’s too easy to do. But it is one of those life-changing things that is incredibly effective. We need to daily count our blessings!
2. Develop the attitude of gratitude. The thread of gratitude will become a lifeline to joy. When you decide you’ve had enough of an undesirable feeling, you can begin to shift immediately by changing your focus to recognizing God as the source of every good and perfect gift and appreciating anything that God permits to come your way. Appreciate one thing, then another, then another, until all you feel is the vibration of appreciation. Thankfulness is an attitude, but it is also a godly habit that can and should be regularly cultivated.
3. Learn to love what God loves. When you are hurting and finally decide you’ve had enough you can learn to love what God loves. The Bible calls us to rejoice – that means finding joy again or rediscovering the joy we have lost. In Philippians 4:4 Paul said, “Always be full of joy in the Lord; I say it again, rejoice!” Did you know that Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians from prison? The only way to be full of joy is to look for it in God and not in our circumstances. Learning how to please God can become a great sense of joy!
4. Give away what you need. When you’re feeling blue, hunt up a few that are bluer than you and try cheering them up for a while. When we give away what we need, emotionally, we have recognized at a deep internal level that we already have it within ourselves the joy that we need, or we wouldn’t be able to give it away. You can’t impart what you do not first possess. Giving takes our eyes off ourselves (2 Cor. 1:3-4).
5. Shift your focus. The law of attraction says whatever you focus on you get more of. Your heart secretly attracts what it loves or fears. Hebrews 12:1-3 says that we need to keep our eyes on Christ. As we learn to focus our faith on Christ we learn to find our joy in knowing, loving and serving Him.
6. Create a comprehensive growth plan. Seek to live a biblically balanced life just like Jesus. Luke 2:52 says that, “Jesus grew both tall and wise, and was loved by God and man.” Let’s face it: If you do not have a plan and an intention to grow spiritually, you will be floundering your way through life!
7. Focus on knowing, believing, meditating and obeying God’s word. Remember what Jesus said? In John 15:11: “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” Obeying the truth is a powerful source of joy as well as the means by which we express love for God (John 14:21).
8. Realize joy is a fruit (result) of being controlled by the Spirit. In order to be controlled by the Spirit, we need to submit to the Spirit’s control which involves making God’s Word the final authority for faith and practice. Galatians 5:22-23 says: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” The injunction of being controlled by the Holy Spirit is not a mere suggestion but a divine imperative – a command! (Eph. 5:18)
9. Learn how to experience the greatest joy on earth. In 3 John 4, the apostle John says, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” In other words, disciple making! We need to pass the baton of godliness on to the next generation to experience the greatest joy on earth.
10. Choose joy. It is always an option available to a Christian. If you have lost joy, you can rediscover it. We choose it by: 1) learning, loving and living God’s Word, and by 2) submitting ourselves moment by moment to the Spirit’s control. We choose joy by 3) cultivating an attitude of gratitude and learning the practice the presence of God in prayer. “The favor God shows and
the joy He bestows are for those who will trust and obey.”
Concluding Challenge
Here is my challenge to you:
• Stop believing the myth that joy can be experienced only by the absence of pain and the fulfillment of your desires.
• Stop thinking that God is picking on you when things don’t happen to go your way (Rom. 8:28).
• Stop making inappropriate and unwise comparisons which stir up envy and discontent (2 Cor. 10:12).
• Start praying, believing God hears your prayers and will answer them according to His will (1 John 5:14-15).
• Give thanks for how God is going to weave your circumstances to ultimately work out for your good.
You may have previously heard this portion of God’s Word but if you are like me you need to be reminded from time to time. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 is a passage you would do well to commit to memory!
In closing I would like to say a word to those of you who don’t feel joyful and this article has not fixed your pain. I can make you this promise: If you know Jesus, there will come a time, maybe not now, when the Lord will surprise you with His joy. As you meditate on His holy presence and His living Word you will break out with a smile on your lips that comes from a deep sense of joy in your heart.
The Bible says, “Tears may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning.” (Psa. 30:5) “Do not grow weary in well doing, for in due season we will reap if we do not lose heart” (Gal. 6:9). I don’t know how, and I don’t know when, but Jesus has promised you will know His joy (John 15:11). Frederick Buechner makes this beautiful statement about joy in the life of the Christian:
I believe that all of us have not only the right to be happy, in the sense of being able to bless even the sad times of our lives...It’s all good. There is nothing to worry about. That is the gladdest and most final of all secrets which I suspect the whole human family, since the world began, has glimpsed always in its holiest dreams.
Hear again the Word of God:
1 “Rejoice always,”
2 “Pray continually,”
3 “Give thanks in every circumstance!”
“This is God’s will for you!” Amen.

Monday, April 25, 2011

1st anniversary

had the most beautiful 1st anniversary getaway this past weekend! so blessed to be married to my amazing hubby & honoured to be his wife. looking forward to many more years to come.

Monday, April 18, 2011

john wesley's questions

below are John Wesley’s Holy Club Questions. these are the 22 questions the members of John Wesley’s Holy Club asked themselves every day in their private devotions over 200 years ago. they are deep and convicting.

1. Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I really am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?
2. Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?
3. Do I confidentially pass on to another what was told to me in confidence?
4. Can I be trusted?
5. Am I a slave to dress, friends, work, or habits?
6. Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?
7. Did the Bible live in me today?
8. Do I give it time to speak to me everyday?
9. Am I enjoying prayer?
10. When did I last speak to someone else about my faith?
11. Do I pray about the money I spend?
12. Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?
13. Do I disobey God in anything?
14. Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?
15. Am I defeated in any part of my life?
16. Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy, or distrustful?
17. How do I spend my spare time?
18. Am I proud?
19. Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisees who despised the publican?
20. Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold a resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I doing about it?
21. Do I grumble or complain constantly?
22. Is Christ real to me?

may these questions be a tool which God uses to draw your heart closer to Him.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Delight yourself in the LORD

Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. psalm 37.4

i meditated on this verse today. while meditating i realized that 'and' is one of the most important words in this verse. because i am FIRST called to delight myself in the LORD (AND THEN) He gives me the desires of my heart. how easy it is for me to want to run ahead and have the desires of my heart met first, without delighting in Him first. i find that when i delight myself first in the Lord, i am not worried about the timing or how or if my desires are met. because our focus is on Him, and delighting in Him, and who is more beautiful or worthy than Him? everything else, even my heart's desires pale in comparison. this is how my husband & i felt about marriage. we desired to get married someday, but kept delighting in the LORD. He brought us together at just the right time & guided our relationship to the altar of marriage. both my husband & i watched in awe as our relationship unfolded so beautifully & our hearts' desires were met after we had delighted ourselves in Him.

when we delight in Him, we worship Him. we were designed for worship & to worship Him, and are most fulfilled when we keep Him on the throne instead of ourselves or our idols.
what are the different ways to delight in Him? here are some i thought about:

do i delight in Him in my speech: in what i say to others, in what i say about others, in what i say about Him to others?
do i delight in Him in my conduct: in normal, good days where things go my way & in tough, bad days where everything seems to be going wrong and falling apart?
do i delight in Him in my thoughts: in what i think about things, others, circumstances, or do i let anxiety to creep in?
do i delight in the fact that He is LORD of my life, LORD over the earth, LORD in every good & bad circumstance?
do i delight in His love, faithfulness, mercy, grace, goodness, justice, holiness, & purity?
do i delight in His plans for me, His timing, providence, and guidance?

this ties in perfectly with a conversations i was having with my husband today. we were discussing a wonderful decoration for our future childrens' nursery that i had found. since i am such a planner i wanted to buy it to store it away for the future. hubby suggested that we wait & purchase it when the time came for us to start a family. i became frustrated but he gently reminded me to check where my heart was and see if my desires were being so elevated that i was not delighting myself in the LORD first. (i am so blessed to have such an incredible, Godly, spiritual leader for a husband.) as i reflected i realized that i was not delighting first in the LORD, and letting my heart's desires get ahead of me. one of my heart's desires is to have a family someday, whether that be biologically or by adoption, or both. i realized that i needed to step back and delight myself in the LORD for now. by doing so, i am worshiping Him, allowing Him to direct my path, & putting my focus on Him. therefore, i am being open to His plans, and whether they involve a future family or not, because He knows what is best. and i think back to my relationship with my husband, and the wonderful journey we took to come to the altar of marriage. i await expectantly to see where He will take my husband and i in the future, and no matter where and what that looks like, i know it will be absolutely amazing and blessed because i have delighted and continue to delight myself in Him. and whenever i do that, i fall even deeper in love with my LORD.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

you do not have the luxury of a breakdown

i came across amy's blog recently. one of her posts was probably one of the most convicting & inspiring things i have read in a long time. when you read through, replace amy with your own name. here is the post; i hope Jesus uses amy's words of wisdom to touch you today:

The time has come for me to reference a saying handed down to me from my mom.

"You do not have the luxury of a breakdown."

You can't flip out.
You really do have to make use of those "every spiritual blessings" that Christ has given you.
Yes, Amy, you really are expected to be patient when you don't feel like it.
No, you cannot look to others to make you feel good, loved, accepted, comfortable.
Every day is a new challenge in the lengthening of your fuse, set the record.
Irritability is fleshly and proud.
Selfish feelings must be shot down the second you hear their footsteps creeping up.
Demands and expectations of others, for your happiness, amount to idolatry. IDOLATRY!
The fortitude and reliability of a wife, mom, daughter, sister and friend in whatever capacity God the Almighty requires of you is your responsibility. Do not shirk it.
You will love in all these ways and repent when you don't:
Patience,
Kindness,
You will not brag,
You will not be jealous,
You will not have a high view of yourself,
You will not lash out, demand your rights or tell people off,
You will be happy for others to get their way, and sacrifice to make that happen,
You will not snap when you're tired,
You will not resent others for anything, they do not exist for your fulfillment,
You will believe the very best about everyone in your life and attribute right motives to them,
You will be hopeful, thankful and optimistic,
Preach the Gospel to yourself, see your need and set your feet right.
Bask in the love of God and be deeply satisfied and warmly grateful.
Keep your eyes on heaven, not on this fading life.
You will make it to the end, by the power of the Holy Spirit living in you.

You will apologize.........again.

May God give me victory in this. May I be a blessing to everyone who knows me. Pray for me.

Eph 1
1Cor 13

Monday, April 4, 2011

grace, grace, grace

know that our believing & having faith is never once a result of our own resources or ability. it is grace, grace, grace. // john piper

Jesus, thank you for empowering us to trust You & have faith. our hearts are so sinful as seen in jeremiah 17.9 where it says 'the human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked...'
we can't do it without You, without your incredible grace. it's so nice knowing we don't have to do it alone, by our own feeble power.
thank you, Lord.

Friday, March 18, 2011

reminder

i recently bought this ring:



it symbolizes the journey i am currently on.
i wear it as a daily reminder about several truths. the first truth is that my chains of slavery are gone. Jesus broke all of my chains & my bondage to slavery with the cross. the heart reminds me of the second truth, to fight against idols & keep Him on the throne always. the third and fourth truths the heart reminds me of are to align my heart with His heart, and to not give up the battle of fighting for His kingdom instead of my tiny, selfish kingdom of self. the fifth and sixth truths are to remember where my allegiance lies, how i am a daughter of the Most High King, and how i need to show this daily in my actions, thoughts, and words.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

sweatfree

hubby & i try to shop sweatfree, buying from companies that do not promote sweatshops. i have visited sweat shops in LA & they are absolutely awful. thinking about my experience there disgusts me so much that i never want to buy products from companies that use sweatshops. some companies that use them are target, charlotte russe, forever21, & old navy.

h&m is one of my favourite places to shop that is sweatfree. they have fantastic prices & beautiful clothes. here is information about their company's commitment to workers & their supply chain working conditions. make sure to watch the inspirational video.

remember, your consumer choices have such an impact on our neighbors around the world. join me in standing for justice for all.

Friday, March 11, 2011

ballerina

i had this passion for music and i used to want to become that music & the only way i knew was by dancing. // alessandra ferri

i love being a ballerina. one of my dreams is to teach ballet to underprivileged children. to open their eyes to the world of ballet and introduce them to the beauty, strength, and grace found in ballet. watch my favourite ballerina alessandra ferri as juliet.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

little children

And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. // Matthew 18.3
this reminds me of how we are called to become like little children:



carefree & playing under the radiance of our great King, our Abba Father.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

the white sheep



There's a little girl and she's looking at a white sheep as it ate green grass.
And she thought how nice and white the sheep looked as it ate the green grass.
And then it began to snow.
And she thought how dirty the sheep looked against the white snow
See it was the same sheep but it was a different background.
So when we compare our sin to the standard of the world, we all come up reasonably clean, but when we compare our sin to the snow white righteousness of God's law we'll see that we are in fact filthy dirty.




i love this analogy. candace cameron bure shared this in her testimony.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

known by its fruit

in follow me to freedom: leading as an ordinary radical, shane claiborne states "a tree is known by its fruit. i say the names of the fruit of the Spirit - saying them one by one, several times a day, praying that they would live in me & come out of me in every interaction. i even have them written on my chapel wall, & i have hung them on four-foot wooden planks from the window of our community house."

this week i have been reflecting on shane's statement & galatians 5.22-23 "but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." i have been thinking & praying about the fruit of the Spirit daily. like shane, i want them to live in me & come out of me in every interaction.

i like how this portrays the fruit of the Spirit, as 9 daily essentials:



i'm going to put this on my fridge so i can see it everyday & remember, pray, & reflect on it.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

challenge from Hebrews

for you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. // hebrews 10:34

this verse struck me as i read hebrews 10 today. how much value i put in my material possessions, & how much i cling to them. this verse was convicting, it helped me think of holding onto my possessions not as tightly but loosely. especially since they are only rubbish compared to what is to come in heaven. Lord, help me remember this, help me live out what Your word says 'since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.' thank You for making Your ways in this world upside-down & for calling Your children to live this way. though it can be challenging it is oh so sweet, true & beautiful.

Friday, January 7, 2011

repentance




such a simple, beautiful depiction of repentance.
(click on picture to enlarge)

Thursday, January 6, 2011

makeover

my lovely friend emily has redesigned my blog! i absolutely love it, she did an amazing job! i am so incredibly blessed to have such a talented, creative friend. thank you emily for making my blog look so incredible!