I took this from the status update of a girl I graduated from high school with that is in the hospital right now with her two-yr-old daughter who nearly drowned on June 6th
"Trust me one day at a time. This keeps
you close to me, responsive to my will. Exert your will to trust me in
all circumstances. Don't let your need to understand distract you from
my presence. I will equip you to get through this day victoriously, as
you live in deep dependence on me. Tomorrow has enough worry of its own,
don't get tangled up in its worry webs. Trust me one day at a time."
Pretty powerful. Definitely makes you think about perspective.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
I'm copying and pasting this from my devotional this morning because I'm curious as to what other people think.
Disciples live with not only renouncing their own rights, but even renouncing their own righteousness. They get no credit themselves for what they do and sacrifice.
The only righteousness they can have is in hungering and thirsting for it. They will have neither their own righteousness nor God's righteousness on earth. At all times they look forward to God's future righteousness, but they cannot bring it about by themselves. Those who follow Jesus will be hungry and thirsty along the way. They are filled with longing for forgiveness of all sins and for complete renewal; they long for the renewal of the earth and for God's perfect justice.
If a church renounced its own righteousness, what changes might take place in the way that church relates to other churches, the secular world, and other religions?
Disciples live with not only renouncing their own rights, but even renouncing their own righteousness. They get no credit themselves for what they do and sacrifice.
The only righteousness they can have is in hungering and thirsting for it. They will have neither their own righteousness nor God's righteousness on earth. At all times they look forward to God's future righteousness, but they cannot bring it about by themselves. Those who follow Jesus will be hungry and thirsty along the way. They are filled with longing for forgiveness of all sins and for complete renewal; they long for the renewal of the earth and for God's perfect justice.
If a church renounced its own righteousness, what changes might take place in the way that church relates to other churches, the secular world, and other religions?
Thursday, June 7, 2012
So today the devotional that I'm going through encouraged me to make a list of the things I'm worried about in my journal. I came up with only two things (which is a blessing, of course)
1. Now what??
(which I'm not addressing here...I know it'll be answered eventually and I just need patience)
2. The people in my life that have not experienced a true revelation of God and the freedom that only he can offer, and the daily decisions that they make to keep them from ever having such a revelation.
I know that I have to accept that there is no sense in worrying about these people. The best and only thing that I can do for them is pray to the God that wants the same thing for them as I do, only exponentially more so. And to respect that they have been given free will the same as myself. I can only exemplify what I've done with my freewill and how joyful my life is because of it. In a way that is natural and not forced.
But that got me to thinking. You know how Satan's cleverist trick is to just slightly perverse something, so that it looks right at first, but over time it gradually becomes farther and farther away from the purity it once had? And you know how one of the biggest downfalls of the church is that people are not honest with one another, therefore they are not there for one another-sharing each other's burdens. Instead, everyone puts on a happy face and buries whatever is going on in their lives because they have to put on a front that they have God and therefore have everything under control? I wonder, did this begin with good intentions?? Did someone say, as I just have, "I'm going to let the joy that I've received overflow into my daily life so that others-without this same joy-may experience it, and receive it themselves"? And then over time this mindset was perverted into what I've just described as a cancer in the church?
I don't know, just something to think about. That Satan character is a sneaky guy.
1. Now what??
(which I'm not addressing here...I know it'll be answered eventually and I just need patience)
2. The people in my life that have not experienced a true revelation of God and the freedom that only he can offer, and the daily decisions that they make to keep them from ever having such a revelation.
I know that I have to accept that there is no sense in worrying about these people. The best and only thing that I can do for them is pray to the God that wants the same thing for them as I do, only exponentially more so. And to respect that they have been given free will the same as myself. I can only exemplify what I've done with my freewill and how joyful my life is because of it. In a way that is natural and not forced.
But that got me to thinking. You know how Satan's cleverist trick is to just slightly perverse something, so that it looks right at first, but over time it gradually becomes farther and farther away from the purity it once had? And you know how one of the biggest downfalls of the church is that people are not honest with one another, therefore they are not there for one another-sharing each other's burdens. Instead, everyone puts on a happy face and buries whatever is going on in their lives because they have to put on a front that they have God and therefore have everything under control? I wonder, did this begin with good intentions?? Did someone say, as I just have, "I'm going to let the joy that I've received overflow into my daily life so that others-without this same joy-may experience it, and receive it themselves"? And then over time this mindset was perverted into what I've just described as a cancer in the church?
I don't know, just something to think about. That Satan character is a sneaky guy.
Friday, June 1, 2012
I never wrote my letter to my future self that we were supposed to write during debrief. Ha, oops. So I guess I will not be receiving a letter 4 months from now to mark 6 months from my graduation of DTS. I felt that it was more important to spend that time with the people that I was unsure when/if I'd ever see them again, rather than spend it writing a letter to myself.
I couldn't help this morning feeling as if I am not the same girl that left New Zealand over 2 months ago, and that I would be disappointing that girl. It's a shame really, I liked her.
I feel a bit as if I am losing myself here, spending most of my days alone with no real direction. But what does that say about me if I rely on the people around me to reassure me of who I am? I don't know, the reality is just sinking in that this is never going to get any easier.
I couldn't help this morning feeling as if I am not the same girl that left New Zealand over 2 months ago, and that I would be disappointing that girl. It's a shame really, I liked her.
I feel a bit as if I am losing myself here, spending most of my days alone with no real direction. But what does that say about me if I rely on the people around me to reassure me of who I am? I don't know, the reality is just sinking in that this is never going to get any easier.
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