Tag Archives for Scripture

Words, Bike Rides, Books, And Bad Guys… Lots of Bad Guys.

Words.

Arghhhhhhh.

Sometimes (a lot lately) I have really struggled with finding the right words to say. Sometimes I feel like I should have something to say but there is just nothing there. Other times after I have spoken I feel as though I have said too much out of a mouth that was completely unsurrendered to God. #regret

I don’t know… it is just hard.

Hard.

Today I was encouraged by this verse:

“Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist.”
Luke 21:14-15

Hmmmm, so what else is new…

Well yesterday I went on a bike ride with Maxine. She is sooooo cute. Maxine’s mom told me that she has been begging her all summer to ask me if I would take her out for one of our “fun days”. So yesterday I did. Our “fun days” usually consist of 2-3 hours of bike riding and jungle gym-ing, teheeeehe. Ahhhhh, to be a kid again…

Well anywhooo, Maxine and I went to a park by our houses (we live on the same street) and played on the jungle gym. She had this cool little game planned out which consisted of us being on a top secret “mission” and having to escape from the “bad guys”. We were basically running, sliding, and monkey bar-ing away from imaginary bad guys non-stop for an hour.

At some point I realized that my 18 year old self is getting a little too old for this, heheee, but I could see that Maxine was having so much fun so I didn’t want to stop her game just yet. So as I glanced at the jungle gym we were playing on and noticed that it was blue I came up with a grand idea (if I say so myself). The jungle-gym would be water and we would hide under the jungle gym in a submarine (once again, imaginary) so that the bad guys would not see us. Yes, that would mean that for the previous hour we were running ON water… but that just made our adventure that much more fun. Maxine then came up with a grander idea by deciding that it was all of sudden midnight and we had to sleep so we could be well-rested. The kid is a genius. Can we say break-time? Haha.

We lay on the floor under the jungle-gym bridge and basked in the sun…

After that we went on a little bike ride. She wanted an adventure so I decided that we would bike around our neighborhood randomly until we found something cool and then see if we could find our way back home from wherever we ended up.

[Thinking about this idea in retrospect I realize this was not the wisest thing to do with someone else's child being that I am severely geographically challenged... yup.]

Well, on our bike ride of randomness we ended up finding a little free outdoor library. Maxine had a blast looking through all the books and ended up getting a cool little Sherlock Holmes book for herself. The rules are simply that you should return the book when you are done with a little note if you’d like… a sort of “pay it forward” type of thing. After our time there I took Maxine home… and yes we made it home quite fine.

 

2:44 A.M.

6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. 9 Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, 10 nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs…”
Matthew 10:6-10

Lord, You have called me to something GREAT. So often I forget this. You have given me the privilege of sharing You with the world… You have put Your words in my mouth and Your Holy Spirit within me that I might do great things in Your name.

Lately I have had such a desire to be used by You. But You keep reminding me of a great truth that I often forget: Before You desire to use me, You desire to shepherd me. You want ME. First and foremost, You want my heart. It is so easy for me to get caught up in doing and working but did You not say Yourself, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom I sent”? (John 6:29)

This is You want from me, Lord: a heart that believes that You ARE.

“Before Abraham was, I AM.”
John 8:58

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him. For he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
Hebrews 11:6

The part of the Matthew 10 passage that really caught me was verses 9 and 10. You told the disciples to basically take nothing with them… to travel light. Lord, how easy it is for me to lose my focus and carry along a whole bunch of unnecessary extras that weigh me down. Help me to be focused on You and the  things that please You. Help me Lord to lay down the weight and the sin that so easily ensnares me! My pride… My desire to lift myself up and be seen… my vanity… the feeding of my flesh…

Lord may You become greater and may I become less!

Lord help me to return to You with all my heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning! (Joel 2:12)

Where is my heart? Where is my treasure? Is it with You, Lord?

No. It has not been.

I have had many idols competing for Your throne in my heart. But I cast down those things now and pour out my heart before You. Your love is better than life, therefore my lips will praise You! (Psalm 63:3)

I want You.

I need You.

“And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”
Matthew 10:38-39

“…the fear of the Lord is his treasure.”
Isaiah 33:6

12:56 A.M.

Late night tonight…

Today I have really been challenged about what it means to truly repent. I believe it is one thing to feel repentance and a whole other thing to walk in repentance. The first only requires emotion, the latter requires belief. True repentance is deciding that I can no longer live my life as I have been and believing that God is able to change me… Regardless of how long I have been in this place…

“This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” John 6:29

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6

“Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” Ephesians 6:16

Believe.

Little Love Notes: Put Yourself First.

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling…”
Phillipians 2:12

Lately I have often found myself thinking thoughts such as “I need to develop greater discipline in my life so that if it is God’s will for me, I can be a better wife and mother in the future.” Or thoughts such as “I need to start interceding more so that the souls of the kids at our youth group may be saved.” While these two thoughts in and of themselves are great, it just seems as though my motivation has been a little bit off. The motive behind why I do what I do should not simply be for the benefit of people but ultimately for the glory of God.

I have really been learning in my life lately that it is very possible to be doing all of the right things and yet have it all wrong.

So easily we get caught up in ministry opportunities, raising godly families, and all of the other beautiful and great things that present themselves in the Christian life. As we get caught up in doing all of this great “stuff” we forget what is truly important: our first love.

More than God desires to use us, He desires to know us.

The ultimate reason for our existence is to know God intimately and personally. As we do the things that God has called us to do we must never forget this. It is so easy to care so much about the souls of others that we lose focus of the condition of our own.

Our salvation is of the upmost importance to God and honestly, in order for us to even be able do any of the great “stuff” well, our salvation must also be of the upmost importance to us. Daily seek to know God more than you did yesterday. Make growing closer to God the greatest priority in your life. 

Put yourself first.