Monday, May 30, 2011

Encouraging Words!

Every time I open my Bible to a random passage before turning out my light at bedtime, I usually land in the Psalms or Proverbs. Last night, I landed on Psalm 31 and I was just so encouraged! I love to end my day with a beautiful passage from God's Word that warms my soul before heading off to dreamland. (I pray every night that what I read will somehow be apart of my dream since I'm not always in the most pleasant places or situations).
I really loved  verses 23 and 24 of Psalm 31.
"O love the Lord, all you His godly ones!
The Lord preserves the faithful
And fully recompenses the proud doer.
Be strong and let your heart take courage,
All you who hope in the Lord."


No one could ever pen more beautiful words than the words that are in the Bible!! There are so many passages that I have never read, and when I come across them, they are just SO beautiful! Every book, every chapter, every verse, every phrase, every word - they are God inspired! Every time I try to write something beautiful such as a poem or story, I always find myself using phrases or full verses from the Bible - because nothing else is more beautiful!


Friday, May 27, 2011

Reverse Thinking


I just love this video. It is always so encouraging to see God at work to change people's lives. I thought this video would tie in nicely with my last post about true Christianity and the wonderful salvation of Jesus Christ. Be encouraged!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Do they see Jesus in me?

Do they see Jesus in me?  - Joy Williams


Is the face that I see in the mirror
the one I want others to see
Do I show in the way that I walk in my life
The love that You've given to me
My heart's
desire is to be like You
In all that I do, all I am
Do they see Jesus In Me
Do they recognize Your face
Do I communicate Your love, and Your grace
Do I reflect who You are
In the way I choose to be
Do they see Jesus In Me

It's amazing that you'd ever use me
But use me the way You will
Help me to hold out a heart of
compassionate grace
A heart that You're spirit fills
May I show forgiveness and mercy
The same way You've shown it to me

Now I want to show all the world who You are
The reason I live and breathe
So You'll be the One that they see
When they see me

I Desire Nothing Else

"Whom have I in heaven but You?
And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
For, behold, those who are far from
You will perish;
You have destroyed all those who
are unfaithful to You.
But as for me, the nearness of God is
my good;
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
That I may tell of all Your works."
~Psalm 73:25-28


I was reading over this passage last night before I went to bed. The words were so beautiful to read again that I felt like they lifted off the page and settled around my heart.
I have been picturing this image in my mind the last couple weeks that has really helped me to put things into a heavenly perspective. I am picturing God in heaven, as if I were standing beside Him, and He's looking down on this tiny planet called Earth. Everyone is always hustling and bustling about as though nothing else in the universe mattered. The people who "profess" to know Christ, which are many I assume, are living just like everyone else in the way they dress and the way they act. There are a few who have truly found the narrow road and are living their lives with the Holy Spirit living inside of them. They live with their focus on Christ, because they know He is watching them and guiding them. They have dedicated their lives to serving Him.
Then my mind travels back to God's view and how He must be grieved when He looks upon the Earth He has made and He sees blasphemers of His name, people living in utter rebellion to God, people wasting their whole lives trying to prove their is no God, and Christians getting sucked into it all and falling in love with the world's temporary pleasures.
Shouldn't we, as children of God, live set-apart lives from the world? If someone were to come to your hometown and tell you that they were going to arrest every follower of Jesus Christ and imprison them for their faith, would they know just by the way you are living, that you are a true follower of Christ? Would you find them looking in movie theaters, pubs, at drunken parties, sitting in front of the TV set watching perverse channels, or sitting comfortably in a group of people cussing and swearing? I would see them going straight for the churches and religious groups. This then gets me thinking even more deeply. Well, observing most of the churches today, I couldn't honestly say that they look any different than a rock concert or an entertainment night. How would they know to arrest? To you think people would start saying, "Take me, I am a follower of Christ."? I doubt it. Or do you think that they could go in a crowd of people and see by how the people are dressed and how they are talking and what they are talking about, that they could say, "Ah, I can tell that person loves Christ by what they are talking about and how they are living."
It devastates me to know that in our culture today, there are thousands upon thousands that profess Christ and yet live as though He doesn't exist. We sometimes say about atheists, "How can they believe there isn't any God? Of course there is, look around. Can you make water or plants or people?". I believe though, that sometimes we live like the atheists do. We say, "I believe in God and that He created me and everything else in the world." But by the way we are living - the things we watch, the things we listen to, the conversations we engage ourselves in, and the things we promote - we are living as though God doesn't exist or that God doesn't know what we're doing. I love what 1 John 2:15-17 says - "Do not love the world nor the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but he one who does the will of God lives forever." These words can be such a comfort, and yet such a conviction. Do I love the world so much that I will sacrifice my purity, my heart, my emotions, and my life to its lustful passions and unfulfilled promise for eternal pleasure?
I want to keep myself pure for my future husband and for Christ who lives inside me. I want to love God with all my heart, soul, and mind, and not the world's temporary pleasures. I want to live a life that is distinct, so that someone would know I am a true follower of Christ by the fruit in my life.
Here is a beautifully written passage penned by a martyr of Christ:


The Fellowship of the Unashamed
"In 1980 a young man from Rwanda was forced by his tribe to either renounce Christ or face certain death. He refused to renounce Christ, and he was killed on the spot. The night before he had written the following commitment which was found in his room:


“I’m part of the fellowship of the unashamed, the die has been cast, I have stepped over the line, the decision has been made- I’m a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.


My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed vision, worldly talking, cheap giving & dwarfed goals.


My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I won’t give up, shut up, let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up for the cause of Jesus Christ.


I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till everyone knows, work till He stops me & when He comes for His own, He will have no trouble recognizing me because my banner will have been clear.”



Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog! Thank you so much for dropping by and taking time to listen to my ramblings, or rather, read my ramblings! I hope you will be encouraged and blessed by some of my posts. I want to use this blog all to God's glory and not for my own. I am not a professional writer, a public speaker, or someone who knows all there is to know about everything. I'm simply a seventeen year old girl who has a passion for Christ and a love for His Word. I'm not looking for praise or to be looked upon as higher than anyone else. I would rather be seen as a young woman who fears the Lord and is a humble servant of the King of Kings. Feel free to leave comments of encouragement or even questions - I would be delighted to hear from you and send you a message back. God bless!