The type of peace described in the fruit of the spirit is usually the definition of calmness and quiet and can also be interpreted as seeking after that sense of stillness and calmness. I am going to look at this a slightly different way and talk about a different kind of peace which I believe could still be considered to be the definition of peace in this context. Mel x
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Recently a man who was armed with a gun, was shot dead by police at Guildford cathedral- a place people would normally associate with peace. His family released a statement saying that he was a manic depressive and he would go to the cathedral grounds 'to find solace and inner peace'.
Inner peace....what is that and how do we get it?
People associate the word peace with calmness, no fighting (often relating to war) and quiet. But what does it mean to have inner peace?
Last night at my church home group we talked about John 21, where Jesus asks Peter if he loves him, a dialogue that culminates in these few verses....
20Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is going to betray you?") 21When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?"
22Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me." 23Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?"
We then discussed why as people we often seem to compare ourselves to other people, be it in a more positive or negative light. Often people will say things like 'I wish my family were more like that family' or 'I wish i was more outgoing as X' etc etc, but why cant we just be comfortable in our own skin.?Not worrying what is going to happen to other people, just as Jesus said "...what is that to you?".
Jesus just said to Peter 'You must follow me" Does this mean being comfortable about who we are, not worrying about what other people are doing and thinking and being happy enough to be who God's made us to be, and do what God's called us to do? Is this finding peace?
Is inner peace kowing and being happy with who you are, and what you do? Surely as only we are accountable for our lives when we face God, it is only the way we live that matters and it only matters what God thinks. So when we do something, if people are talking about us or we think they're talking about us is irrelevant-as long as it pleases God thats all that matters. When we've reached this attitude-is this inner peace?
Last night challenged me so much to seek to please God and be comfortable in my own skin just as God made me. To be aware of differences but appreciate them, understand that God has made us all individuals and that at the end of the day, what does it matter to you what happens to others...we are to follow Jesus.
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Please see the Rob Bell Nooma video- 'Name' for more information. I found this DVD very challenging but worth a watch.
Wednesday, 3 December 2008
Monday, 10 November 2008
I get joy just thinking about what He's done for me
According to www.dictionary.com (a resource I value at work where medical terminology is a foreign language to me), the meaning of joy is "the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying". Breaking this down, according to this definition, joy is 1) an emotion, 2)represents a feeling greater than happiness and 3) is caused by experiencing something good or satisfactory.
Therefore, to feel joy (a subjective state-emotion) is to experience almost an ecstatic feeling that is a result of something amazing.
So why is it that many Christians, who clearly have reason to experience joy, as a result of Jesus sacrificing his life in their place,and then defeating death, (something I consider to be flippin' amazing) often seem to lack this 'great delight or happiness'? I have a sneaky feeling most Christians don't truly appreciate what Jesus has done for them. Now that might sound somewhat sacrilegious and out of order-but come on, having to grasp that someone who is innocent, died in your place for everything you have done is slightly abstract. In a selfish culture where we are taught to think only about ourselves, where for the first few years of our life, we see the world through egocentric eyes, believing the world revolves around us, its hardly surprising is it?
Last year I really struggled coming to terms with some stuff in my life, and I became pretty bitter and angry. I just focused on how things affected me and my life and always looked at the negative aspects of things. Come the new year, I realised I really needed to get my act together. God hadn't created me to live life like this, and he certainly hadn't given me so much amazing stuff and so many amazing people in my life for my to be so unappreciative. After praying about it and asking God to show me my life in a different light, literally overnight I changed from being a grumpy 20-going-on-80-year-old into a girl who appeared to have got her youth back! This is such an important lesson to learn- if we take a step back from depressing earthly life of the credit crunch (which by the way is a load of rubbish!seriously...) and wars (noticably not in our country), and actually look at what Jesus did for us and all the things we have, man, we would be full of joy to overflowing.
To me, being full of joy and having that aspect of the fruit of the spirit is such an important aspect of life as a Christian. Christians are supposed to have a different outlook to life and act in a different way to non-christians (hence why Paul outlined the Fruit of the spirit and the acts of the sinful nature in Galatians).
I would so encourage you to weekly or even daily make a list of all the things you have to be thankful for. I havent done it for a while, but I think I'm going to start again, and refill the joy in my life that has been slipping away a bit!
Therefore, to feel joy (a subjective state-emotion) is to experience almost an ecstatic feeling that is a result of something amazing.
So why is it that many Christians, who clearly have reason to experience joy, as a result of Jesus sacrificing his life in their place,and then defeating death, (something I consider to be flippin' amazing) often seem to lack this 'great delight or happiness'? I have a sneaky feeling most Christians don't truly appreciate what Jesus has done for them. Now that might sound somewhat sacrilegious and out of order-but come on, having to grasp that someone who is innocent, died in your place for everything you have done is slightly abstract. In a selfish culture where we are taught to think only about ourselves, where for the first few years of our life, we see the world through egocentric eyes, believing the world revolves around us, its hardly surprising is it?
Last year I really struggled coming to terms with some stuff in my life, and I became pretty bitter and angry. I just focused on how things affected me and my life and always looked at the negative aspects of things. Come the new year, I realised I really needed to get my act together. God hadn't created me to live life like this, and he certainly hadn't given me so much amazing stuff and so many amazing people in my life for my to be so unappreciative. After praying about it and asking God to show me my life in a different light, literally overnight I changed from being a grumpy 20-going-on-80-year-old into a girl who appeared to have got her youth back! This is such an important lesson to learn- if we take a step back from depressing earthly life of the credit crunch (which by the way is a load of rubbish!seriously...) and wars (noticably not in our country), and actually look at what Jesus did for us and all the things we have, man, we would be full of joy to overflowing.
To me, being full of joy and having that aspect of the fruit of the spirit is such an important aspect of life as a Christian. Christians are supposed to have a different outlook to life and act in a different way to non-christians (hence why Paul outlined the Fruit of the spirit and the acts of the sinful nature in Galatians).
I would so encourage you to weekly or even daily make a list of all the things you have to be thankful for. I havent done it for a while, but I think I'm going to start again, and refill the joy in my life that has been slipping away a bit!
Wednesday, 22 October 2008
The Fruit of the Spirit-introduction
I was reading through Galatians 5 the other day and it is in this passage that it talks about the acts of the sinful nature and the fruit of the spirit. Something that has become increasingly clear to me is the fact that there are many acts of a sinful nature, but these 9 virtues are referred to as fruit-singular, indicating that when the spirit is in you/your life all 9 should be apparent.
I am therefore aiming to write a blog on each of the virtues that make up the fruit of the spirit. As I have already written a blog on love the blogs will come in the following order
I am therefore aiming to write a blog on each of the virtues that make up the fruit of the spirit. As I have already written a blog on love the blogs will come in the following order
1)Joy
2) Peace
3)Patience
4) Kindness
5) Goodness
6) Gentleness
7) Faithfulness
8) Self-Control.
I will try my hardest to look into them in detail, as this will help me study the bible and what it truely means to bear the fruit of the spirit in depth and therefore help myself and you apply these principles to our lives.
Tuesday, 30 September 2008
Psychology and Christianity- devil workship vs. jesus worship?
Now, as a psychology student, and a christian it is sometimes hard to entertain the view, held by many, that to be both is an oxymoron. I am often asked whether my degree and theories within it contradict my religious beliefs and whether indeed I find it difficult to hold two opposing views. The answer generally is no. No I do not believe my degree subject contradicts my Christian views, and no I don't find it difficult to hold two opposing views...because I don't believe they do contradict.
Now maybe this is a slightly naive view of what psychology really means to people, and maybe I haven't fully grasped what psychology leans towards. However, during the two years I have been studying psychology seriously, I have had no problem with the topics that have come up in my degree and in my learning of this subject. The only real problem I have in psychology is the somewhat heavy dependence in some areas on a socio-biological/evolutionary perspective. As a christian, evolution isn't top of my belief list and so the emphasis placed on this often leaves me feeling rather agitated to say the least. This view can often be criticised with basic criticisms such as differences between and within cultures, and more specifically that there are clear examples of where this idea does not work such as homosexual relationships where the couple clearly are not only together solely to promote their genes!
I know many Christians who really do believe that psychology is evil. That is is 'devil workship' and not Jesus worship. That it takes the place of Jesus in our lives. There are many reasons for this, however I am only going to address a few.
Firstly it is clear that it offers a very different answer and solution to the problems faced in society than the Gospel does-encouraging 'clients' to have therapy to solve their problems rather than turn to God. There is also a heavy focus on the idea that our childhood and past shapes who we are and what we do now. Some Christians argue that this is opposed to the the fundamental christian belief that we can be 'born again' and that Jesus changes our lives.
I definitely disagree with those two arguements. Regarding the first point, I have a big issue with people that say that psychology looks away from God for answers. How about medicine? Medicine doesnt look to God to solve problems, yet how many Christians will go to their GP or hospital when they are ill? Surely according to this argument we should look to God for our physical healing and not medicine? Now I'm not denying that we shouldn't look to God for our physical needs, however I am just making the point that christians often don't turn to God straight away when they are ill. In addition it logically follows that medicine could be called 'devil workship' also, as it encourage us to look to something else other than God to heal us and attend to our physical needs.
Attending to the second argument that the psychological theory of our childhood shaping our lives is opposed to being 'born again' as it denys that we can be changed, I would say this is a load of rubbish. Whilst I would definitely agree that Jesus changes our moral and earthly lives too, sometimes even christians need an extra push in the right direction, whether that be from psychology or from a chat with someone at church. Ultimately I would say that my understanding of being 'born again' is that Jesus changes our spiritual lives which in turn changes our moral understanding etc etc. He changes us from the inside out.
Finally, I would like to offer the idea that far from being 'devil workship', psychology is a method that God uses to heal and shape us. Just like he uses medicine and doctors to heal our physical needs and mend our bodies, so too can he heal our mental needs through psychology. Yes some of the theories taught in psychology are a bit odd and could indeed be called 'psychobabble' as one lovely christian preacher desribes it (http://www.awmi.net/extra/article/psychology_christianity), but at the end of the day some christian theologies could be described in the same way!
I know for sure that God used psychology to help a member of my family, who was really struggling and without it I dont know where he'd be. Yes, God can heal our mental health in a flash just like anything else, but some times, he uses other methods just to keep us on our toes (and me in a job).
Now maybe this is a slightly naive view of what psychology really means to people, and maybe I haven't fully grasped what psychology leans towards. However, during the two years I have been studying psychology seriously, I have had no problem with the topics that have come up in my degree and in my learning of this subject. The only real problem I have in psychology is the somewhat heavy dependence in some areas on a socio-biological/evolutionary perspective. As a christian, evolution isn't top of my belief list and so the emphasis placed on this often leaves me feeling rather agitated to say the least. This view can often be criticised with basic criticisms such as differences between and within cultures, and more specifically that there are clear examples of where this idea does not work such as homosexual relationships where the couple clearly are not only together solely to promote their genes!
I know many Christians who really do believe that psychology is evil. That is is 'devil workship' and not Jesus worship. That it takes the place of Jesus in our lives. There are many reasons for this, however I am only going to address a few.
Firstly it is clear that it offers a very different answer and solution to the problems faced in society than the Gospel does-encouraging 'clients' to have therapy to solve their problems rather than turn to God. There is also a heavy focus on the idea that our childhood and past shapes who we are and what we do now. Some Christians argue that this is opposed to the the fundamental christian belief that we can be 'born again' and that Jesus changes our lives.
I definitely disagree with those two arguements. Regarding the first point, I have a big issue with people that say that psychology looks away from God for answers. How about medicine? Medicine doesnt look to God to solve problems, yet how many Christians will go to their GP or hospital when they are ill? Surely according to this argument we should look to God for our physical healing and not medicine? Now I'm not denying that we shouldn't look to God for our physical needs, however I am just making the point that christians often don't turn to God straight away when they are ill. In addition it logically follows that medicine could be called 'devil workship' also, as it encourage us to look to something else other than God to heal us and attend to our physical needs.
Attending to the second argument that the psychological theory of our childhood shaping our lives is opposed to being 'born again' as it denys that we can be changed, I would say this is a load of rubbish. Whilst I would definitely agree that Jesus changes our moral and earthly lives too, sometimes even christians need an extra push in the right direction, whether that be from psychology or from a chat with someone at church. Ultimately I would say that my understanding of being 'born again' is that Jesus changes our spiritual lives which in turn changes our moral understanding etc etc. He changes us from the inside out.
Finally, I would like to offer the idea that far from being 'devil workship', psychology is a method that God uses to heal and shape us. Just like he uses medicine and doctors to heal our physical needs and mend our bodies, so too can he heal our mental needs through psychology. Yes some of the theories taught in psychology are a bit odd and could indeed be called 'psychobabble' as one lovely christian preacher desribes it (http://www.awmi.net/extra/article/psychology_christianity), but at the end of the day some christian theologies could be described in the same way!
I know for sure that God used psychology to help a member of my family, who was really struggling and without it I dont know where he'd be. Yes, God can heal our mental health in a flash just like anything else, but some times, he uses other methods just to keep us on our toes (and me in a job).
Sunday, 3 August 2008
Be the king of this heart again
I've been doing some thinking and I realised that Jesus is probably not the king of my heart. Its so easy to think he is, and that he is everything to you, but when you really think about it, its likely that there are many things that you long for more than God.
I know for myself, throughout my life I have longed for a relationship, and whatever stage I'm at that has been my hearts desire. It was so hard to do, but it was only when I realised this, and turned to God, repented and told him he was all I needed and wanted, that he honoured my desire and gave me Dan.
I think theres an important lesson to learn from this, one I'm having to relearn at the moment. As christians God should be the most important thing in our lives and until we sacrifice all to him, and acknowledge that he is in control, we are not going to get waht we desire. God wants to know that he is all to us, and will then bestow his blessings upon us. Now I'm not saying that God is a horrible god, however Exodus 20 v 5 says that he is a 'jealous god' ;
"You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God"
In the same way a boyfriend will not propose until he knows his girlfriends affections are wholey aimed at him, (if he proposed and didnt know this he'd be a bit silly!) God wants to know that our lives are aimed at pleasing and living for him. I believe He will not give us a gift if we are not ready to look after it, and in the case of a relationship, if we cant surrender all to God, how are we going to do it in a relationship.
This principle is not just applicable to relationships, God wants us to surrender all we have to him. This includes money, control of our lives, time and many more things.
To finish I'm just gonna copy some lyrics from the song 'King of this heart' by Matt Redman, which really sums up what I mean.
Time is too short to say it's Ok
To think I can live this way
For just another day
So I'll search through the night for the one my heart loves
Wont stop till I've found you
for Lord I need to hold you close
Be the King Of this heart again
Be the king of this life
In my soul there's a cry today
Be the king of this heart
Be the King of this heart (again)
I've stood in the desert and thirsted for you
I've run through the city now I wont let go
I'm throwing myself on your mercy O God
You say it's all or nothing I'm saying "Jesus, have it all"
Be the light for my eyes, Be the strength for my feet
Be the love of my soul, be my everything
Be my day and my night, when I wake when I sleep,
Undivided my heart will be.
I know for myself, throughout my life I have longed for a relationship, and whatever stage I'm at that has been my hearts desire. It was so hard to do, but it was only when I realised this, and turned to God, repented and told him he was all I needed and wanted, that he honoured my desire and gave me Dan.
I think theres an important lesson to learn from this, one I'm having to relearn at the moment. As christians God should be the most important thing in our lives and until we sacrifice all to him, and acknowledge that he is in control, we are not going to get waht we desire. God wants to know that he is all to us, and will then bestow his blessings upon us. Now I'm not saying that God is a horrible god, however Exodus 20 v 5 says that he is a 'jealous god' ;
"You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God"
In the same way a boyfriend will not propose until he knows his girlfriends affections are wholey aimed at him, (if he proposed and didnt know this he'd be a bit silly!) God wants to know that our lives are aimed at pleasing and living for him. I believe He will not give us a gift if we are not ready to look after it, and in the case of a relationship, if we cant surrender all to God, how are we going to do it in a relationship.
This principle is not just applicable to relationships, God wants us to surrender all we have to him. This includes money, control of our lives, time and many more things.
To finish I'm just gonna copy some lyrics from the song 'King of this heart' by Matt Redman, which really sums up what I mean.
Time is too short to say it's Ok
To think I can live this way
For just another day
So I'll search through the night for the one my heart loves
Wont stop till I've found you
for Lord I need to hold you close
Be the King Of this heart again
Be the king of this life
In my soul there's a cry today
Be the king of this heart
Be the King of this heart (again)
I've stood in the desert and thirsted for you
I've run through the city now I wont let go
I'm throwing myself on your mercy O God
You say it's all or nothing I'm saying "Jesus, have it all"
Be the light for my eyes, Be the strength for my feet
Be the love of my soul, be my everything
Be my day and my night, when I wake when I sleep,
Undivided my heart will be.
Monday, 9 June 2008
I wanna know what love is....
What does LOVE mean?
The bible says a lot about love:
Mark 12 v 33 "To love him (GOD) with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
This is something said by a teacher of the law whilst in discussion with Jesus. "When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God"(Mark 12 v 34). This to me shows that this man had almost hit the nail on the head. He has suggested that love for God and your neighbour is far more important than any ritual or tradition of the Jewish religion.
Burnt offerings and sacrifices were a very important part of the Jewish religion. The overall hebrew word for these was "qorbanot" which is derived from the word "Qof-Resh-Bet" meaning 'to draw near', and so this ritual allowed the Jewish people to draw near to God. These 'qorbanot' were given for many different reasons such as giving thanks to God, showing gratitude and love to God, or to ritually cleanse an individual. Burnt offerings were specifically used to demonstrate a submission to the will of God. (http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/qorbanot.html)
We can see therefore that for Jesus loving God and your neighbour was tantamount to completeting and offering these sacrifices. It also possibly indicates that love now achieves all that the burnt offerings and sacrifices were intended to.
It is as if love embodies the ultimate sacrifice, something that Jesus alludes to in John 15 v 13 "Greater love has no-one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends".
There's a famous passage in the bible that is almost always the topic of every wedding sermon-1 Corinthians 13 v 4- 8a "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.".
I have read this passage so many times, and infact when I met my now boyfriend in september 2006, I had this posted on my Uni room wall to remind me that love is all of these things, and not anything else. To remind me that love is patient, and encourage me to wait for God's perfect timing for that relationship to begin.
Just today infact, i re-read this passage and saw something new. I realised that all the things that it states love is, do not encourage selfishness. The characteristics of love encourage self-sacrifice; guiding us to die to our human desires of envy, self want, pride, anger, rudeness, distrust, despair and giving up.
Personally I've learnt that love is just that; dying to our human selfish desires. I've had to learn that to love my boyfriend isn't to push for or seek pleasure from physical intimacy that should be kept for marriage but to refrain from it. To love him is to show him respect and know that it is not a case of not being able to be sexually intimate before marriage, but that I get to save that physical intimacy for a time that God has advised.
I have to remind myself constantly that ' Love is patient....[and]...it is not self seeking'.
Is that what love means?
The bible says a lot about love:
Mark 12 v 33 "To love him (GOD) with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
This is something said by a teacher of the law whilst in discussion with Jesus. "When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God"(Mark 12 v 34). This to me shows that this man had almost hit the nail on the head. He has suggested that love for God and your neighbour is far more important than any ritual or tradition of the Jewish religion.
Burnt offerings and sacrifices were a very important part of the Jewish religion. The overall hebrew word for these was "qorbanot" which is derived from the word "Qof-Resh-Bet" meaning 'to draw near', and so this ritual allowed the Jewish people to draw near to God. These 'qorbanot' were given for many different reasons such as giving thanks to God, showing gratitude and love to God, or to ritually cleanse an individual. Burnt offerings were specifically used to demonstrate a submission to the will of God. (http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/qorbanot.html)
We can see therefore that for Jesus loving God and your neighbour was tantamount to completeting and offering these sacrifices. It also possibly indicates that love now achieves all that the burnt offerings and sacrifices were intended to.
It is as if love embodies the ultimate sacrifice, something that Jesus alludes to in John 15 v 13 "Greater love has no-one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends".
There's a famous passage in the bible that is almost always the topic of every wedding sermon-1 Corinthians 13 v 4- 8a "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.".
I have read this passage so many times, and infact when I met my now boyfriend in september 2006, I had this posted on my Uni room wall to remind me that love is all of these things, and not anything else. To remind me that love is patient, and encourage me to wait for God's perfect timing for that relationship to begin.
Just today infact, i re-read this passage and saw something new. I realised that all the things that it states love is, do not encourage selfishness. The characteristics of love encourage self-sacrifice; guiding us to die to our human desires of envy, self want, pride, anger, rudeness, distrust, despair and giving up.
Personally I've learnt that love is just that; dying to our human selfish desires. I've had to learn that to love my boyfriend isn't to push for or seek pleasure from physical intimacy that should be kept for marriage but to refrain from it. To love him is to show him respect and know that it is not a case of not being able to be sexually intimate before marriage, but that I get to save that physical intimacy for a time that God has advised.
I have to remind myself constantly that ' Love is patient....[and]...it is not self seeking'.
Is that what love means?
Are you living
This is the opening post of my blog, which will explain the title. I wrote this in september 07, after a difficult few weeks.
" Over the past month or so i've had a lot of things to think about. They've mainly revolved around death. As you may know 49 days ago my grandad was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, 30 days ago he died of lung cancer.However, thats not what i wnt to focus on. But thats made me think about a few things and the events that occured in the past 30 days have changed me.What i want to ask is...'are you living?'
I know for one,i feel as though for the last month, as George put it today, i have just existed. Yeah i've been at uni, and doing work and things, but i cant really say i've lived. Im not talking about living as in 'woo bungee jumping and sky-diving', what im getting at, all be it in a long winded manner,is that i havent done anything out of the ordinary for my God. I cannot truely and honestly say i have been living for him.
Living for God i supposed to be EXCITING!putting yourself out there for him, being bold, unashamed to take him out to the people who need him most. Imagine how that makes him feel, that the people who need him most, i.e. those that dont know him, are lacking because i havent lived as i should.My campus breaks my heart, it is full of people who are themselves broken hearted, lost, scared, alone-the list is endless- but they neednt be.Perhaps, just perhaps if i lived how i am supposed to live, that would be different.
Im not just talking about obeying God, although that is still an integral part, but if we actually SACRIFICED ourselves for God, how much more of a difference would we see in this world. China are seeing 10,000 people a week come to know God, because they live like they believe. They live like there is a god worth sacrificing time for, sacrificing money for, risking their lives for. I am challenged to change and live like that. This world is crying,screaming out for someone to rescue them. Dont let urselves be the barrier to them being rescued."
" Over the past month or so i've had a lot of things to think about. They've mainly revolved around death. As you may know 49 days ago my grandad was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, 30 days ago he died of lung cancer.However, thats not what i wnt to focus on. But thats made me think about a few things and the events that occured in the past 30 days have changed me.What i want to ask is...'are you living?'
I know for one,i feel as though for the last month, as George put it today, i have just existed. Yeah i've been at uni, and doing work and things, but i cant really say i've lived. Im not talking about living as in 'woo bungee jumping and sky-diving', what im getting at, all be it in a long winded manner,is that i havent done anything out of the ordinary for my God. I cannot truely and honestly say i have been living for him.
Living for God i supposed to be EXCITING!putting yourself out there for him, being bold, unashamed to take him out to the people who need him most. Imagine how that makes him feel, that the people who need him most, i.e. those that dont know him, are lacking because i havent lived as i should.My campus breaks my heart, it is full of people who are themselves broken hearted, lost, scared, alone-the list is endless- but they neednt be.Perhaps, just perhaps if i lived how i am supposed to live, that would be different.
Im not just talking about obeying God, although that is still an integral part, but if we actually SACRIFICED ourselves for God, how much more of a difference would we see in this world. China are seeing 10,000 people a week come to know God, because they live like they believe. They live like there is a god worth sacrificing time for, sacrificing money for, risking their lives for. I am challenged to change and live like that. This world is crying,screaming out for someone to rescue them. Dont let urselves be the barrier to them being rescued."
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