Just a reminder..

Christ came and died for our sins. He was a perfectly sinless man who gave up His life to save us from sin. He loves us more then any of us can ever fathom. Why then do we always get caught up in the petty things of life? I am constantly at fault for this..getting mad at people for doing things people do. But I think we all need a reminder about the big picture. How are we ever going to win people to Christ when we can’t even get along ourselves. It isn’t portraying a very pretty picture of Christ’s love. He forgave us for nailing Him to the cross..shouldn’t we then be able to forgive people for the things they do. I love you all-but I think we all need to step back and remember the big picture. All the petty fighting and stupid things that have been going on just make us look immature and shed a bad light on our CHRISTIAN school. I’m going to work hard at it and I hope you all will too. I would hate to see something like a blog ruin friendships and testimonies. Christ calls us to forgive others as he has forgiven us. And He also calls us to love others. Two big areas I think we all could grow in.

Safety

I was watching a movie Saturday night and it got me thinking about the whole idea of safety. Like what do we think of when we think of safe? I know I have all kinds of little quirks and habits that in my mind make me safe. i.e. closing my closet doors before bed or making sure my curtains are all the way closed. Those things don’t make my room any safer, but they put my mind at ease. They make me feel safer. As I was thinking about this, I started to remember all these verses I have learned about how Christ is our stronghold and our safe place. 2 Sam. 22:2-3 declare, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliever; My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my savior, You save me from violence.” Many times in scripture God talks about setting our feet on rocks, and how He is our hiding place in times of trouble. Over and over we place our trust in other times and find our safety in people and things. But only God can provide true safety. He has promised to keep us safe and will never leave nor forsake us. What an awesome thought! Why then, do we go on constantly seeking safety in other things. The thought is baffling and yet I am very much at fault for this. I find people who make me feel safe, and things that ensure my safety. Yet all the while, I have had the greatest source right at my fingertips. Lately, I haven’t felt very safe-it’s been very scary to think that my dad doesn’t have a job-but God has taught me that my strength and hope does not lie in any material or physical thing that I think comes only as a result of having money-but that He knows and He is watching out for my family. And He is watching out for you too! so next time you feel afraid or unsure of yourself-let’s remember that our safety comes from Christ and He is our rock and salvation.

Blogger Idol Week 14-Spirituality

What is spirituality? Excuse me while I borrow something from Mr. Harmless

Spirituality: The state, quality, manner, or fact of being spiritual.

ok, but what does that mean? What does being spiritual look like? And who defines what is spiritual? Can someone wake up one morning and instantly decide to be spiritual?

Romans 12:1, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” So our spiritual service is to present ourselves to God, as sacrifices. That certaintly wasn’t the first thing that came to my mind. I was thinking more along the lines of those people that know every verse in the bible and seem to be above sin. But God doesn’t define spirituality that way. It is something that is obtained through a sacrifice of ourselves and a pledging of our whole bodies to Christ.

I Cor 15: 46 “However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual” We are not inately spiritual beings. We are born into sin and have no capability of being spiritual. We may do right things, but only after we accept Christ are we changed into being spiritual. TO BE CONTINUED>>>

Some verses…

Psalm 73

1 Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.

2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.

3 For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

4 They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong.

5 They are free from burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills.

6 Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence.

7 From their callous hearts comes iniquity; the evil conceits of their minds know no limits.

8 They scoff, and speak with malice; in their arrogance they threaten oppression.

9 Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take pssession of the earth.

10 Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance.

11 They say, “How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?”

12 This is what the wicked are like– always carefree, they increase in wealth.

13 Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.

14 All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning.

15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,” I would have betrayed your children.

16 When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me

17 till I ENTERED the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.

18 Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them to ruin.

19 How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!

20 As a dream when one awakes, so when you arise, O Lord, you will despise them as fantasies.

21 When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered,

22 I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you.

23 Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.

24 You guide my with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.

25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has NOTHING I desire besides you.

26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

27 Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.

28 But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.

Sunday School Answers

*A discussion in my sunday school class prompted this post*

Most of us have grown up in church and have gone to Christian schools at some point. So we all know what to say and how to act. When posed with questions, we can give answers that sound very biblical and Godly without a second thought. We all know how to make people think we’re super-Godly and we know a lot. (I’m not saying everyone is like this all the time..so don’t think that:)) But I have a challenge for you all.. Dig deeper. Figure out what you believe, why you believe that and what you are going to do as a result of it. It will take work, it will be hard..but it will be the most rewarding thing if you let it. When people ask questions, answer them honestly..even if your answer is not necessarily the one you think is most biblically correct. If we are honest, we can get help and see areas we need to grow in. Jeremiah talks about how the heart is deceitfully wicked. We can very quickly believe we are ok, when really we are struggling to even open our bibles. Instead of complaining about the school rules or decisions, search the bible-find out what it says on the subject. Set up standards based on what you read, and get set in stone what you believe..not what your school, or church believes. Reality is, we are all going to grow up..move on, and someday we may not be at Faith or at our current churches..how are you going to know what to do or where to go if your whole life you only believed or did things because of your school or church. This is one thing I have been working on and it has perhaps made the biggest impact on my life. I know I believe what I believe because I know that’s what the bible says..thankfully, a lot of it matches up with my church and school, but some of it does not. I mean, it’s not anything huge-just things like music, movie standards, praise and worship-things that are more liberties then foundations of faith. But I believe and do what I do because that’s what I believe that bible has called me to do. Do you have a reason for the things you do? Do you really know what you believe? Are you truely honest with yourself when asked hard questions? Someday some of us may be placed in positions where we have to stand up and speak out about our faith..are we prepared to do that? Are we ready always to give an answer for the hope that lies within us? Are you excited about the message of the gospel because you truly believe it and see the changes its made in your life? I know I just asked you a million questions, but they are things to think about. God wants us to have a personal relationship with Him. He wants us to seek Him first, and to dig into His word. 2 Peter 1:3 tells us that the word has given us all that we need pertaining to life and godliness. It’s time we start to take some ownership in our faith. It’s time we can say, I believe because the bible says so. It’s time for us to get serious in our walks..because for a lot of us sometime in the next 3 years we’re going to be heading off to college and we are going to have to start making our own decisions. And living with the consequences, whether good or bad.

Potential vs. Potency

“You have great potential!” Have you ever had someone tell you those words? I’m sure most of us have at some point or another. I was at Cedarville this past weekend and we sat through one of their chapels. The president of their SGA from last year came back and was talking about this. It got me thinking. How long do you have potential? Can one ever reach one’s potential. There has to be a point where we go from being people with great potential to being potent people. People so on fire for God, nothing can shake us. People willing to take risks. Have you ever heard this quote, “The safest place to be is in the middle of God’s will.” I know I have, but the speaker brought up an interesting point..He said, actually being in the middle of God’s will is actually a dangerous place to be. Think about David-do you think he felt safe when he was against an army twice the size of his? Or Moses standing in front of a burning bush being commanded to go speak out to Pharoh? I’m guessing neither of them felt too safe, but they trusted God and were willing to take risks and be potent people. They were going to stop listening to people telling them they had great potential, and start living up to the potential. But how do you make this change? I know it’s not easy..but as he put, you have to go up to the edge of the cliff and say, “Ok, God-what do you want me to do?” No, your not going to feel safe..but as long as your in the will of God your going to be fine. I want people to look at me and see Christ. I want to be a potent person, a person who overflows with love for God. Granted, I may not always feel safe. It may mean getting out of my comfort zone and stepping out to the edge. It may mean making some radical changes-but who wants to get to age 50 and have someone tell you, “Man, you have great potential.” I know I don’t want to live like that.

The only way to become a potent person is to seek God more then anything. To search for Him like so many of us search for boyfriends/girlfriends, money, new clothes, or good grades. To let our lives be mirrors that reflect Christ. He’s not going to deny our prayers to have a hunger for Him. He’s waiting..He’s longing..He wants us to live for Him alone and to become people of potency not just people with potential.

I am lost- once again in my life I’m admitting defeat. My plans aren’t working, my agenda doesn’t seem to be the one God has, and fighting against Him is pointless. All I’ve done is make my family mad at me, my friendships suffer, and myself miserable. All my life it’s been so easy to wake up and put on a mask, its become part of my wardrobe. I try to mask my pain, my heartache, my feelings of utter loneliness. I know the right thing..I know I should trust in God, I know I shouldn’t be lonely..and I could go on about what I know..but somewhere simply knowing falls short. It isn’t enough to simply know. I think God is trying to teach me that..perhaps the purpose behind my dad losing his job was to teach me that I know a lot..but knowing isn’t enough. I need to have faith..faith that can move mountains. I need to trust in verses like Jer.29:11 which has long been one of my favorites. Somehow I have to take all the knowledge I have in my head and turn it into something I believe with my heart. I have to turn it into actions I take part in. Is that easy? No Way! Can it be done? Of course..but only with the help of my savior. I appreciate your prayers and encouragement..they have been treasured greatly. I must take the next step..I must be willing to be honest and to allow God to teach me and others to help me. Will it take time? Yes..it usually does with me..I like to do things slowly, but God is patient..something I am very thankful for!

I’m out..

Amanda

A Question Posed by my Youth Pastor

What’s your favorite way to worship God?

In Sunday school, we are going through the book A Purpose Driven Life. This past week the two chapters we were supposed to read were on the topic of worship. It seems worship is a rather touchy subject at some churches, and often ignored all-together. The author of the book pointed out that God made each of us different and each of us will worship God differently. So today, my youth pastor-PW- asked us this question. It got me thinking, how often to I actually think about worshipping God. And what truly is my favorite way. I decided tonight at youth group that it was singing. Although God did not choose to bless me with a great, “wow” voice, I love to sing praises to my God. This year I’ve taken the time to mull over the words I’m singing and treat them as prayers to God. I am so thankful God has given us music and that we are free to use it to glorify Him. I am learning daily that worshipping God is a continual process-one that goes far beyond Sunday mornings. And I still love singing to Him. My voice is sweet music to His ears..even if it isn’t to the person standing next to me!:) On a serious note, I pose that question to you. What is your favorite way to worship God? Do you even think about worshipping Him? Or is it all an act, a ritual, something you do because that’s what everyone else is doing?

Just a thought..

Amanda

An interesting Thought

Being yourself is going is going to be the hardest thing your do in your life. -Whoopi Goldberg

Although I wouldn’t go to Whoopi for all my life advice, I seriously think she hit the mark on this one. So often we are made fun of for who we are, and we ourselves can fall into the trap of making fun of others for who they are. I can definitely see the truth of this in my own life. For years I have struggled to just be myself, I would always change who I was to fit who I was with. Not until recently have I been able to be myself and just accept that not everyone is going to like that. It’s not easy though. Any of you who have been victims to someone else’s teasing know where I’m coming from. Maybe you are a bit blonde, or a cheerleader, or a nerd, or even the class clown. Whatever you are, figure it out and don’t be afraid to let it shine. God has made each of us as individuals. If we were supposed to be like someone else, then He would have made us that way, but He didn’t. He gave us each our own personality. It’s amazing how hard it can be to be that personality though. People will always misjudge your motives and dislike you-it’s an inevitable part of life. The key is being able to take their criticism with the drop of a hat. And make sure that we ourselves are not guilty of this. The bible has called us to love our neighbors as ourselves. It doesn’t say, love them only if you like them or if they have never hurt you or if they like you. Even the sinners love those who love them. We have to be different. We have to be able to be ourselves and love others for who they are. As long as we are all trying to be someone else or fit into a mold that isn’t for us, we are never going to have an impact on the world and accomplish all the great things God has in store for us. He has a plan tailored just for you and for me. He created us in His image, so why should being ourselves be difficult?

Just a thought..

Amanda