Merry Christmas - "Isaiah 9:5"

"For a child is born to us. a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace."

This was the verse I really focused on this Christmas. I've always found prophecies extremely interesting. Now that Christ has come, we really can confirm Isaiah's prophecy that power does indeed lay upon Jesus's shoulders. He is Wonder-Counselor, far beyond what the human mind can comprehend, and "remarkable for his wisdom and prudence." When we have concerns, we should be running to him. What can others do that he can't? He is God-Hero, "a warrior and defender of his people, like God Himself." He is Father-Forever, "ever devoted to his people.". And he is the Prince of Peace, "his reign will be characterized by peace." The italics defining the verse are pulled out of the footnotes of the Bible.

Isaiah 9:6 reminds us how powerful, loving, and great Jesus is. The other part of the verse that gets me is how it states "a child is born to us" and "a son is given to us." He was not born for Mary or Joseph, not even for God himself. For us. The Wonder-Counselor, the God-Hero, the Father-Forever, and the Prince of Peace was born for us. Jesus truly was a gift, and the greatest gift we could ever receive. We don't deserve him, and it's humbling to realize. However, giving an expensive gift is well worth it if the receiver is grateful. God doesn't need our gratitutude. He doesn't need us. But he loves us, and wants us. And we're not forced to love him. Loving him back and showing appreciation, out of our free-will, means more than we realize to Him. You won't go unnoticed.

For the College Kid - Proverbs 24:1

"Be not emulous of evil men, and desire not to be with them; For their hearts plot violence, and their lips speak of foul play."

I have not even been at college for 48 hours, and I became distracted from my faith. I realized that I have been way more concerned with the way I look, what people think of me, meeting new friends, and hanging out at the "cool" place, rather than focused on God. Even in mass yesterday, I was way too distracted to focus on Jesus Christ. Maybe if I put a flashing light on my Jesus bracelet, I would be reminded on who to focus. Just kidding, but I realize I need to change this, so I turned to the Loving Father for help. I opened up my bible this morning to my bookmark in Proverbs. I hadn't read two pages before I found this verse. There is soo much temptation on campus, and it's definitely been nagging at me. I found this verse though, and hopefully it will give me the strength today to stick to what is right and good. If I don't fit in, so what? As long as I have pleased my Father in heaven, what else do I need to do? With Him on my side, no one can harm me.

Ps. The definition of emulous that I found to fit this verse is as follows: "inspired by or deriving from a desire to emulate." Don't worry --- I had to look it up too. :)

Deuteronomy 31:8

"It is the Lord who marches before you; he will be with you and will never fail you or forsake you. So do not fear or be dismayed." -Deuteronomy 31:8

Moses used these words to reassure Joshua when he handed over the task of crossing the Jordan and leading the Israelites into the Promised Land. In a blunt paraphrase, Moses says, "It will not be easy. There will be battle, and the Canaanites will want to kill you, but don't worry. God is going before you, and God will save you from them. You will take their land, and be victorious."

This week I leave for college. Despite all my excitement and anticipation, I'll be honest. I am terrified. I will be entering a world that my parents fought so hard to keep my sheltered from. A world of sex, drugs, alcohol, materialism, atheism, and much more. College life is going to be a petri dish of opportunity for the devil to use. Temptation will be everywhere. My faith will be tested, and I may be faced with someone who strongly disagrees with my faith. It would be easy for me to hide who I am, and lay under the radar. However, that's not right. I want to be strong and make my faith apparent. No, I won't be in people's faces quoting scripture, but I want people to see me and know I'm Christian. This means I will have to be able to support and back up my faith, as well as avoid temptation and lead by example. "It is the Lord who marches before you." If God can overthrow kings, lead Moses, Joshua, and the Iraelites safely through battle, and provide food, shelter, and water for them, then God can lead me through college. I trust in him, and it may not be easy, but it will be victorious.

If you are scared or worried about stepping out your box, or concerned about any upcoming event, remember the Lord is going before you. Trust him and he won't let you down.

Sacrifice: What Would You Give Your Life For?

Really puts things into perspective -- only a couple minutes long, so please watch.

http://www.bluefishtv.com/Store/Downloadable_Video_Illustrations/1364/Sacrifice_What_would_you_give_your_life_for_/f=s1&s=die%20for%20you

Deuteronomy 8:5

"So you must realize that the Lord, your God, disciplines you even as a man disciplines his son."
-Deuteronomy 8:5

Sometimes as Chrisitians, I believe one of the hardest things for us to understand is God's mercy. A life filled with Christ is beautiful, joyful, and fulfilling, but we forget that it's not always going to be sunshine and rainbows. Jesus Christ directly tells us in the bible that there will be obstacles ("in this world you will have trouble" -John 16:33). However, instead of blaming God for our troubles and asking why he would burden us with such a problem, embrace it. Offer up your suffering and feel blessed that your sacrifice may help someone else, somewhere in need. Remember that love = suffering. Jesus proved this on the cross. God may also use our problems to get our attention and draw us closer to him. If things seem to be falling apart, take a step back and focus on your Lord Jesus Christ. He will take care of all your problems. And sometimes the only way to learn is the hard way, but that's God's loving mercy. Ask God for help, for just as your Father disciplines you, he answers your requests: "For everyone who asks, receives, and the one who seeks, find; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asks for a loaf of bread, or a snake when he asks for a fish? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him." - Matthew 7:8-11. Not even your earthly father would turn you away your requests. Therefore, imagine how generous your Heavenly Father would be to your requests, who is the master of love and generousity.

A Lesson from Children's Books

I went to the library today, and found myself in the children's books. I started reading titles of some very complicated and extensive stories, yet they were condensed into the few pages of a children's book. How could something so complex be made understandable to children? So I read a few books. The books can be condensed for a child because they stick to the main points and leave out all the rest. When things get complicated, they refocus on what truly matters. What I thought was important in the story, really wasn't.

This is a lot like life. And a lot like our relationship with God. Our life may seem like it's becoming to much to handle...too complicated. However, what we really need to do is refocus on what's important. We may get distracted by detail--deadlines, chores, money, relationships, success. We lose sight of the main point: our relationship with God.

"Don't try to build God into your life, but build your life around God." (paraphrase) -Leslie Ludy

I checked out a few childrens books today so I could see stories through a new viewpoint, refocusing on what really matters. Hopefully, I will apply this same outlook to my life.

Fun Bible Fact - Numbers 21:7-9

This is a neat fact I learned in a bible study with Mark Hart. I came across the verse the other day, so I decided to share it.

In Chapter 21 of Numbers, God sends serpents to punish the people for complaining against him. The people go to Moses, asking him to ask God to take away the serpents.

"Then the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned in complaining against the Lord and you. Pray the Lord to take the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people, and the Lord said to Moses, "Make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and if anyone who has been bitten looks at it, he will recover." Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he recovered."     Numbers 21:7-9

This healing serpent made by Moses is the origin of our medical symbol today:

Neat huh?

NeedToBreathe - "Something Beautiful"

Had to share my favorite song! Check it out! And you may need to turn your volume all the way up :) :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH4rC4oPfoU&feature=fvw

Lyrics:
In your ocean, I'm ankle deep
I feel the waves crashin' on my feet
It's like I know where I need to be
But I can't figure out, yeah I can't figure out

Just how much air I will need to breathe
When your tide rushes over me
There's only one way to figure out
Will you let me drown, will you let me drown?

Hey now, this is my desire
Consume me like a fire, 'cause I just want something beautiful
To touch me, I know that I'm in reach
'Cause I am down on my knees.
I'm waiting for something beautiful
Oh, something beautiful

And the water is rising quick
And for years I was scared of it
We can't be sure when it will subside
So I won't leave your side, no I can't leave your side.

Hey now, this is my desire
Consume me like a fire, 'cause I just want something beautiful
To touch me, I know that I'm in reach
'Cause I am down on my knees.
I'm waiting for something beautiful
Oh, something beautiful

In a daydream, I couldn't live like this.
I wouldn't stop until I found something beautiful.
When I wake up, I know I will have
No, I still won't have what I need.
Something Beautiful

Hey now this is my desire
Consume me like a fire, 'cause I just want something beautiful
To touch me, I know that I'm in reach,
Cause I am down on my knees
I'm waiting for something beautiful
Oh, something beautiful

The Priestly Blessing - Numbers 6:24-26

"The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! THe Lord Look upon you kindly and give you peace!"

This is a beautiful blessing, and it just makes you smile inside.There is a hymn we sing in church, #523, based off this blessing. "May God bless and keep you, May God's face shine on you, May God be kind to you and give you peace." And of course, it's a common favorite because it's a fast pace moving song, you sing through those lines twice, and you're done in about a minute :). Hopefully I can get a vid up of this hymn! If I beg my mother, she might play if for me!

I recommend visiting this site for an in-depth evaluation of this blessing:
http://www.bible.ca/ef/expository-numbers-6-22-27.htm

"Our Father" - Forgiveness

Totus Tuus is visiting our church this week, and tonight we discussed the "Our Father." The group leader broke down the prayer into verses, describing their intent.

"...And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us."

Most of us are familiar with this part of the prayer, and know what we are called to do. I had a talk with the group leader afterward, and I wanted to share what she had to say. If she's reading this, she knows who she is, and I would like to say thank you. Your advice will help me, and hopefully others, live out the "Our Father." Here is what she had to say:

"You don't forgive the action. You forgive the person." --This one in particular helps me immensely. I've had a hard time forgiving people because I felt that by forgiving them, I was saying that what they did was okay. No - what they did was wrong, but we are called to love the person, not the action.

"God forgives. Always. Over and over again. If we choose not to forgive, we are claiming to be higher than God."

"Just remember the price that was paid so that we may be forgiven. God gave his only son, Jesus Christ, who suffered a cruel, horrifying death. Jesus suffered so that we may be forgiven. Never forget that, and it may be easier to forgive others."

"Try and see that the person who hurt you is broken too. Sin leaves us broken."

Thanks again, Brie.

John 16:33

"I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world." John 16:33

Whenever I get caught up in my everyday troubles, I remember how great our God is and how little my problems must seem to him. Even in tragedies, when things seem to be falling apart, remember God is on your side, and be still. What could we possibly have to worry about? For He has conquered all.

I came across this verse several years ago, and it has been a driving force in my life ever since. In fact, it has been my favorite verse, so I chose it as the name of the blog's URL. This verse will always be near to my heart, and may I never forget the great power & protection of our Lord.

Glorify. Pray. Inspire.

Glorify
in all you do. Let your dress, your actions, your words, your thoughts, let your everything glorify God.

Pray
without ceasing.The greatest power on Earth.

Inspire
others as a Christian.