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?