Let us not forget to remember

In this christmas season, it's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of events.  The many parties that we go to.  The many gifts that we must buy.   The many decorations that we have to put up.  

The many church services we go too.  The many lessons we hear about Jesus being the reason for the season. 

Yet, still church becomes part of the list of things to do.  

All throughout the old testament, God is calling the Israelites to remember.  Remember the years of bondage in Egypt and remember the plagues.  Remember the passover.  Remember when He split the sea in two.  Remember when He provided water from a rock and manna from the sky.  Remember when He led you to the promise land, and provided you a king.  

See the Israelites have a forgetfulness problem, and so did the new believers in the new testament.

Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. 33Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. 35So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 
Hebrews 10:32-35

It's also safe to say that we have a forgetfulness problem.  That is why Christmas exists, so that we do not forget to remember.  Christmas is a time we remember that our God, who is mighty and holy, came down to earth and was born as a baby in a lowly manger.  We remember that we are the reason He had to come because of the sin we possess. We remember that He came because He loved us, and wanted the separation that sin caused to dissipate so we could spend eternity with Him.  He came in a manger to go to the cross.  We remember all this.  

So,  let us not forget to remember.  In my life, especially in times of doubt or confusion, God always brings to mind ways in the past he has proved His existence to me.  One time, I was worried about an auditions and was nervous, and in order to encourage me my mom started quoting words from a song and then she turned on the radio and that very song was playing.  One time, I was nervous about cheerleading tryouts and how my back handsprings had to competent and I didn't know what that word meant.  The next day I was reading my bible and I read that I could find my competence in Christ.  One time, God changed the heart of my Chinese exchange student and I saw her whole demeanor change when she accepted Christ, and she got baptized right before she left to go back. I remember one time when I was so stressed out at school and didn't have much time to study for a test and I ended up getting the best grade on the test that I got all year in that class.  Lol remember that one time I won a car, and God used it to show me his grace. 

We forget these things.  We forget to remember them and hold them near to us.  God has proved himself time and time again just like he did with the Israelites and we just forget.  We forget to remember.  

So this Christmas season let us not forget to remember.  

Love Isn't Safe

We have grown up in a culture of lovers rather than fighters.  Yet I ask is love really love without the fight?

We think that love is easy, that it is natural, and on some level it is.  There are days you find yourself falling, falling in love and you've never felt how falling could be so easy before this.

Yet, love,real love, Love that comes from God.  It isn't easy because it requires us to come face to face with who we are and quite frankly that is dangerous.

If we live our whole life, ignoring our sin and ignoring the filth that is dwelling in our heart.  Life is easy, it's like living on the Cloud 9 of grace.  Then, God calls you deeper, and out of love you wander but then you find yourself so deep in the arms of grace, so deep in his love that you heart has to be opened.

So I ask, are we guarding our hearts out of fear and using the phrase "Guard your heart" to rationalize it?

We are called to take on love, and love others.  Yet, love that is encased in fear, is it really love at all?

We may get hurt, yes.  We may get slandered, yes.  We may get our heart beaten and bruised, yes.

But where would we be if God didn't get beaten, bruised and slandered?  The Grace that got us here in the first place wouldn't exist.

Because if we are honest with ourselves, if love isn't dangerous, then Jesus wouldn't have died on the cross.

However, Jesus did die and in that one act he showed us what love is.

As Christians, our love should be the most risky, craziest love known to man.  As it says, they will know us by our love for one another.  Though, non-christians can find safe, guarded love in many other places.

If we have a God that holds our hearts, and protects us, that loves us no matter what and fills our heart with grace, why are we not brave?  We have nothing to lose!!!   For when our heart is safely his, and we are content with his love and grace there is really no risk is there?

Love that isn't safe is contagious and it could in fact take our world by storm, yet we have to confront our fear, our fear of vulnerability.

Loving others makes us better because we see ourselves for who we really are, and then get to see how wonderful God is.

So, why are we not loving till it hurts?  Why are we not loving with a crazy sense of knowing that we have nothing to lose.

Our love should be crazy, illogical, and dangerous because that is the love God shows us.

Kenady's thoughts on love: God protects your heart

If you know me, you know that I love love. Not falling in love but I love watching it from the outside. I love looking on Facebook and see a new engagement or post that tells the world how awesome their significant other is. I love it!!! 

I'm kinda suprised/proud of myself that this is my first post about love.

However, I just had an interesting thought. 

Girls, remember in high school when you would ask your girlfriends, why does he not like me? 

Or why hasn't anyone found me attractive? Or why hasn't anyone asked me out!! Those are the questions that plague our childhood!! 

Why? Why? 

Girls, my question to you is have you ever thought that that was Gods fault?

Maybe He is trying to protect you? Maybe He wants to teach you something?

I'm so so glad I didn't date in high school. It saved me from so so much heartbreak, yet in high school I wasn't so happy about it.  I was hurt and confused. My parents would tell me, oh they are just intimidated by you or man you are such a catch and are so beautiful. They got me but I couldn't figure out why no one else did!!

Maybe God hid my beauty from them. God knew I wasn't ready, or tried to save me from heartbreak!! 

So, whenever you are wondering about anything, maybe it's because it's God.

God isn't just a clockmaker who sits back and watches his clock tick. 

God is on the journey with us and had his fingerprint in everything that happens to us.

Sometimes things arnt revealed to us for our protection.

My roommates wish that at the begginning of your life you were given a necklace that lights up when you meet your future husband.

Personally I think that ruins the fun. But hey maybe it would be nice!! 

We wouldn't have to trust God to protect us. We wouldn't have to trust God period.

Also, if you necklace lit up to someone in 8th grade it would be really hard to stay pure until it was an appropriate time to get married. Wouldn't it?? 

So the point is maybe a guy hasn't asked you out because he is protecting you. Maybe you don't know if the one you are dating is the one yet, because he is protecting you.

I love you all and I hope this makes you rejoice in how God is a great protector:) 

 

Can He fix it?

Life has turned into an episode of bob the builder.  Yet, instead of wondering if Bob can fix it, we sit and wonder if God can fix it.

God the creator, can He fix it? God the creator, yes He can!!

We have all been hurt and left with scars that are hard to fix.  When I was little, I was running in from recess and I fell and scraped my nose.  It left a huge mark on my nose.  Physical pain is visible.  You know when you have been healed, when the swelling goes down or the redness goes away, or when you can move it like you used to.

Yet, with emotional scars they are out of your control.  Can you put Neosporin on it?  Can you go to the doctor?  Can you put your heart in a cast?  No…your emotional scars are a lot less tangible and whole lot less quantifiable.

To be honest…this fact kinda frustrates me.  As a person that loves control, I want to be able to fix it.  I want to take over the process and figure out how I can fix it.  Do I need to start a new bible study on healing?  Do I need to remove myself from the situation and ignore it completely?  Do I need a take a break and just not feel anything for a while?  What do I need to do?

God has simply said,  "You need to give me control"

For the one who made your heart, can surely fix it.

I has no clue how to fix my pain and hurt.  Emotions freak me out because they make me feel so out of control.  They are hard to understand and are a lot less logical then I don't know the cough that been having for the last few days.

Yet, God is the ultimate doctor.  Say, your oven was broke.  The best person to fix your oven would be the one who created it right?  Well, God created emotions, and He created every aspect of you heart and who you are.  So don't you think He would be the best person to fix it?

So…let's lay at the fathers feet and pray for healing, freedom and peace.  Lets pray for healing from the pain, freedom from the past, and peace that God is in control.

"Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?  Hope in God; for i shall again praise him, my salvation and my God" Psalm 42:11

You just don't get it..Do you?

It was a rainy afternoon and a girl and a guy were hanging out.  The girl was overwhelmed with homework and studies and the guy offered to help her.  They were in the middle of a long project and she says "I'm so sorry…this is gonna take longer than I thought..I'm so sorry."

He replies, "You just don't get it..Do you?"

She answers, "No, what don't I get?"

He answers, "I want to help you, no matter how long it takes."

I told this story to my best friend Grace and how we were talking about how romantic it is and how she hopes that a guy will treat her like that someday.  Grace realized that this is a beautiful picture of how God loves us.

We sit and say "I'm so sorry, fixing my heart is going to take a whole lot longer than I thought!!"

God says, "You just don't get it..do you?"

We say, "Get what?"

God says, "I will help you, no matter how long it takes."

God is a big man who is patient, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  I just start crying when I think about how full of grace God is.  He loves us and he cherishes us and wants us to know that there is no heart too complicated, or to broken for Him to fix.

He wants to love us through every season, and every problem.

Hope that encourages you today.

Come Out of Hiding

What is your biggest fear?  Where do you run to when you feel as if you have no where else to run?

In each and every heart, we long for home.  We long for a place where our soul can be completely well.  Yet, even when you go back home and sleep in your bed, your never satisfied.  We begin to idolize comfort and control for we want to feel at home but nothing on this earth satisfies.  Before long, we run into things we can't control.  Our anxiety and fear rages for we no longer can control everything.

This is where God is calling us out of hiding.  If we idolize control, we usually run away from intimacy.  Feelings can't be controlled and so therefore we don't trust others with our heart.

I don't trust others because if I do I feel that I'm out of control.  For once I trust them, they could hurt me or damage my heart.  That is a disaster.  Yet, if I'm hiding from people, then there is a pretty good chance that I'm hiding from God.  God told me last night that my heart needed to come out of hiding.  He had my mind and my soul, He had my love, but my trust and my heart was elsewhere.

I thought it was hard for me to trust because my heart was broken.  Although there has been many agents that have tried to break my heart, my heart is maybe just chipped.  Its still whole because I haven't let it feel.  I don't let many people in, because I feel out of control.  For once I give my cares to someone else, I have lost control.  I have lost control.  

Yet, God told me that I don't give my heart to others when I care about them, instead that He holds my heart and keeps it safe.  I don't have to worry about barricading it, or dropping it or letting it go astray.
So, it all goes down to trust.

Now, why I asked you your biggest fear, is it's a great way to find your idols as well as what your not trusting God with.  Fear comes from a lack of trust in God.

Last night, my friend talked about that God died on the cross so that we wouldn't have fear and shame. He died so that we could be free!!! Free from our fears and free from shame.   So why would we hold on to shame?  Why would we live in fear?  God really wants me to face my fears.  He has recently challenged a lot of my fears.  For example, I had a fear of change, so he put me on a pine cove team that traveled across the lower half of the U.S. where for 6 weeks, everything continuously changed.  I hate trying new things.  Not only was this new but I had people on my team who pushed me to try new foods and

experiences.

Fear can never help…it can only hold you back.

I repeat Fear can never help… it can only hold you back.

Yet sometimes, fear feels like your best friend.  Something you can grasp a little tighter when you have to do something out of your comfort zone.

Yet, I ask if you were to reach the end of your life and saw that you remained in your comfort zone your whole life, how would you feel?

We are called to have a trust without borders, a faith that walks on water.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."  Hebrews 12: 1-2

Let us throw off fear,  I know it's been entangling me.  It's hindered me from great experiences.  It's crazy how much food I've never tried, and how many roller coasters I've never ridden.  How many places I haven't been.  How many sleepless nights I've had.  How many days that have been filled with fear and anxiety, when they could have been filled with love and joy.  

So get tired of it!!! Lets get rid of it with God's help.  Yet first we have to trust God and give him everything and then come out of hiding and run to him.  Listen to the song "Out of Hiding" by Steffany Gretzinger. 

Yet the good thing is our faith is not our own, Jesus is the perfecter of it.  So let him perfect your faith.  We don't have to conquer our fear on our own, Jesus Christ perfects us.  

So, in short,  come out of hiding and run into his arms.

God was active, You were passive

So, we are talking about God and that how we view Him is the most important thing about us.

I find that a common misconception is that God is a passive God.  He sits it heaven and watches.  Some people believe that God is like a clockmaker.  He created the earth, and now he is just  watching it do it's thing.

Yet, this is not true.  Not if, we believe in the gospel.  The gospel speaks of an active God.   God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten son" John 3:16  He loved therefore He gave.  Jesus died and rose again.  These are all action verbs.  It doesn't say that He sat and watched.  It says that He came.

Now, we have talked about grace before.  Yet did you do anything to deserve God's gift of His son? No!! We were completely passive.  He lived the life we should have lived and died the death that we should of died, so that we could raise with him from the dead.  He lived our life, died our death, and rose again.  Sounds pretty active to me, but We sat and just took the gift, if you've become a Christian.

You were passive and He was active.

So, if you get on a plane and fly across the world to The Vatican and step into the Sistine Chapel this is what you see:

Now, I think I've talked about this before.  Yet, my whole life I thought that the gap between God's hand and Adam's hand was because of our sin and because of our sin, we were separated from God and God couldn't get any closer.  Yet, in reality it's because of Adam.  God is active; He is reaching down and seeking to touch his wonderful creation.  Adam is lackadaisical and could care less.  Adam is passive.

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.  Ephesians 2:1-10

Yet, the moment we were born we were dead, dead to our sin and objects of wrath.  Last time I checked,  a dead person couldn't really be an active person.  A dead person is a passive person.  Yet in Verse 4 God comes to the rescue and saves us by his love and mercy.  God made us alive.  

When someone can't breath and you do CPR.  The one that can't breathe is totally unconscious.   If it doesn't go right are you going to blame them?  No! your going to blame the one giving CPR.  They are the ones active.  

So, lets go on today believing that God is actively involved in our salvation and our lives.  He isn't just a clockmaker; He is the creator, redeemer and friend.