In the Presence

My hands flailed wildly as I tried in vain to illustrate the way I felt.

How do you even begin to describe something that perplexes your spirit?

How do you put into words something that blows your mind?

I was lost in conversation with a friend.  We were originally talking about some painful circumstances going on around us, and for some reason I can't explain, the moment the conversation got to the most painful portion, God awakened my heart to His love.  I was overwhelmed!

All of a sudden, I felt very unworthy, and I wanted nothing more than to break down and cry.

I had the sudden urge to lay prostrate before my Savior!  What kind of love drives you to do something like that?  What kind of love brings you to your knees in utter consternation?

Now, I know Jesus, but one thing I simply can't wrap my mind around is why He took a brutal scourging for me.  Or why He tried to carry that cross beam on His freshly wounded back for me.  Or why He lay there in submission as wicked looking nails were driven into the thick flesh of His palms and the bones of His feet... for me!!!

I heard it once said that if someone were to sacrifice their life for me, could I doubt that they loved me?

I don't doubt the love of my Lord, what I don't understand is why

"What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him?"  Hebrews 2:6

I mean, do you know who Jesus is???  This same Jesus redeemed my soul from hell and brought me into His presence. Into His presence???  Does He not realize what I am???  My mind continues to be blown. 

"He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.  After making purification for our sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs." Hebrews 1:3-4

My eyelids began to blink rapidly.  I was awestruck as all of a sudden salvation became much more precious to me, and something I promised Jesus I would never take for granted.

"For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering."  Hebrews 2:10

Thank You, Jesus, for being who You are and for rescuing me from myself, even though I can't quite wrap my mind around Your love.

I will not boast in anything

No gifts, no power, no wisdom

But I will boast in Jesus Christ

His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from his reward?

I cannot give an answer

But this I know with all my heart

His wounds have paid my ransom

With Abandon

He wants some angry young men

With fire in their eyes

Ones who understand what Jesus gave

Ones who have grown weary of the world and all its lies

Ones who won't forget they've been delivered from the grave

Rest assured when Jesus comes again

He'll be looking for some angry young men

If you love Jesus, shouldn't you feel some fire, some hint of passion, to share Him with others?  Shouldn't there be a niggling in the back of your head, a prick in your soul, telling you to live a life that compels people to ask what's different about you?

That's just it, these things should be the case.

Unfortunately, most of us want to hide in our shells of conformity and remain unnoticed by the world around us.  We don't want to cause a stir, and we most certainly don't want to draw attention to the way we live our lives.

We often make excuses as to why we don't live any differently today than we did 10 years ago when we first accepted Christ.

You'll be tempted, tried, and tested
There'll be wars the devil wins
But God's love is not a license to lie there in your sins
He understands the human heart
His mercy is complete
But his grace is not intended
As a place to wipe your feet
Rest assured when Jesus comes again
He'll be looking for some angry young men


So where is the passion, my friends?  If the love of God has truly gotten a hold of you, your life should be shaken upside down, never reverting to your old ways.  Passion should drive you onward!  His love should spur you on to do the right thing, never becoming complacent.  Don't compromise what you believe just to make your unsaved friends feel comfortable.  Christianity is uncomfortable, always pushing you outside your comfort zone, forcing you to walk the straight and narrow, cutting yourself on sharp, jagged rocks.


Matthew 7:13-14, "Enter by the narrow gate.  For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.  For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."


If you draw the line at discomfort, your faith will be short lived.
In fact, one might even question your salvation.

Romans 12:2, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."


As Christians, we should be on fire for God!  We should care about speaking the Truth, tempered with love.  There should be a spark in our eye as we speak about God.

So let's chase after God with abandon, leaving nothing on the table, so that on Judgement Day we will get to hear proceeding out of our Master's mouth those beautiful words, "well done, good and faithful servant."

It's Almost 11 O'clock...

...which means it's time for me to write a little something with enough meaning for you, as the reader, to interpret my pithy post properly.  I hope that you are familiar enough with the English norms of language so that you can understand what I'm trying to impart to you.  Please, don't take anything I'm saying out of context,  but determine the subject matter, and go from there.

As you most likely surmised from the above paragraph, yes, I'm studying for my Hermeneutics mid-term.  So many terms, phrases, and topics to memorize!  But it will be good, especially if I have good recall on test day.  ;)  Pray for me, though, because it's a multiple choice exam, and I have the awful tendency to waaaaaay over think such things, making a plausible case for 3 out of the 4 possible answers.  I really can't tell you how badly I want to get an A in this class, so I've got a great amount of studying to do.

On top of that, I've got lots of reading and researching to do for two of my other classes, which are both fantastic, and then a bibliography for one and a book review for another.  Though the last two items aren't due til the last day of class, I'd really like to get a head start on them so I won't be worried about starting/finishing those while studying for finals.

Other than that, I've also got a mid-term in my New Testament Survey class.  I'm thoroughly enjoying this one!  So many great historical background informational bits that help to piece together the gospel to make it that much more beautiful.  God is so good!  :D

So that's life in a nutshell.  Lots of studying, planned breaks of studying (Six Flags on Saturday), and school and church events on the horizon.

On a totally unrelated thread, my roommate reminded me that next Thursday is the last day of class before Spring Break!!!  I had completely lost track of time and was expecting at least another week of school between mid-terms and a week long break, so this was a glorious realization.  It's been 2.5 months since I've seen home and family, so as you can imagine, I'm itching to get back!

May God bless y'all as you go about your week!  :D 

who do You worship?

This is by far my absolute favorite worship song of the year 2012!  I know, it's only February, but guys,  this song really just describes who God is, and it excites me as well as humbles me.  It puts me in my place as I realize where His is.  My soul can't help but worship when I listen to this song!  God is SO good, y'all!  I just wish everybody could experience the joy and peace of knowing my Father!  Go, spread the gospel to those around you as you live your daily, mundane -- or exciting -- lives.  If you are filled with His love, surely you don't want to hold it all to yourself!

Be selfless with your life and learn how to share!  If you have a piece of wonderful news, you're going to want to spread it!  God's love, grace, and awesomeness are too much to just keep to ourselves!  Now let's get out there and show the world WHO HE IS!!!

This

Thankfulness Part 4

31.  My dad!
32.  Deep conversations
33.  Easy and relaxed weekends
34.  A strong church
35.  A hot mug of coffee and a warm blanket
36.  Reminiscing about family and home
37.  Talking with God  =)
38.  The sound of rain pounding against the roof
39.  Sloshing through puddles in the parking lot
40.  Singing along while the radio is turned up LOUD

Fact

Fact:  I spent 9 hours writing and stylizing a book review today

Fact:  Food is tastier when hungry

Fact:  God is good, all the time

Fact:  When I found out Luke hit a tree with the van, I laughed.  Really hard.

Fact:  I have the tendency to adopt people (I just adopted my first daughter last week, but only just informed her today)

Fact:  I have been adopted by one of my roommates and her boyfriend as their daughter

Fact:  Losing your debit card, while quite awful when caught up in the moment, actually forces you to spend less money, so may be an act of Providence

And there you have it!  A short list of the things I have been occupied with for the past couple of days.  Life is good.  :)

Excerpts of "Boethius"

To other animals ignorance of themselves is natural; in men it is a fault.  How plainly and how widely do you err by thinking that anything can be adorned by ornaments that belong to others!  Surely that cannot be.

......

Wherefore honor comes not to virtue from holding office, but comes from virtues there practiced.

.....

If death can carry away happiness, the whole race of mortals is sinking into wretchedness to be found upon the border of death.  But we know that many have sought the enjoyment of happiness not only by death, but even by sorrow and sufferings: how then can the presence of this life make us happy, when its end cannot make us unhappy?