I love the devotionals at Crosswalk. This one gets sent to my inbox every morning called "Every Day Light".
Get Hold of This!
For reading & meditation - Romans 8:28-39
""... we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."" (v. 28)
Before going on to examine some of the major ways in which life breaks us, we pause to review what we have been saying over these past few days. We said that while the same things may happen to us all, they do not have the same effect upon us all. Life's blows make some people querulous and bitter; others, they sweeten and refine. We also saw that the reason some respond to life positively and turn their problems into possibilities is because of right inner attitudes. There are many non-Christians who put us to shame when it comes to the question of rightly responding to life, and it is high time, therefore, that we Christians got our philosophy of living sorted out once and for all. If, as the Scripture teaches, God will let nothing happen to one of His children without supplying the necessary grace to turn the stumbling block into a stepping stone, then we ought to be ahead of the world in demonstrating how to meet whatever life sends us with confidence and faith. Be quite clear about this: no one can fully represent the Christian way of living until they commit themselves to believing that, though God may allow what appears to be a disaster in the life of one of His children, He does so only if He can turn it to good effect. If transformation is not possible, then God would never have allowed it to happen in the first place. So let this truth sink deep into your spirit - God only allows what He can use.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Established and Kept in April
I'm in absolute shock that we are quickly approaching the month of April. One-third of 2010 is gone. Incredible!
It's always around this time I find my heart grappling for those things that are the best to hold on to. Maybe it's the beginning of Spring and that feeling in the air that anything is possible! I'm ready for the best in life. I want more in every area of what we call "life."
Maybe this is because April is a month that holds quite a bit of meaning for me. Call it the month of reckoning and rebirth but it's rich with meaning for me.
In April of my junior in high school, I could no longer walk away from the incredible love, power and grace that I saw in the eyes of Christ, the Creator and Sustainer of life. I had a lot of questions about life, a lot of anger and pain from past experiences and a lot of guilt and shame for things. Ultimately, my flesh cried out for meaning, for purpose, for truth. What I experienced up to that point could not be the sum end of all of life. For if it was, I was done.
For what seemed like the first time, I heard the truth about Christ. The freedom, the love and passion I experienced at that time was like nothing I'd ever experienced in my life. My identity was rocked to the core. There was a reckoning and a rebirth. Becoming a Christ-follower was all I wanted to think about. He became everything to me and I wanted to learn how to walk that out.
April also became the month where, as a Christ-follower, I celebrate Easter. If Christ didn't rise above the elements of gravity, my faith is in vain. Not only did He rise again from the dead, bringing meaning and purpose to the fact that He's a LIVING God, but every morning when the things that want to destroy me, those elements of my heart that are dead inside, when I feel cold to the things that would bring me life, Christ rises again and again in my heart and says "Come, follow me!". He is alive in the world and alive in me. And it's for this reason I celebrate Easter.
This morning I read "But the LORD is faithful, who shall establish you, and keep you from evil" (2 Thessalonians 3:3) and I believe it. I've seen others more noble than me who professed the name of Christ and later found themselves in a ship-wrecked yard in their faith. What I'm looking at this morning as an evil in the world is when my heart becomes cold, callous and unmoved by the words of the Creator and Sustainer of life.
I'm crying out on the brink of another April - the month of reckoning and rebirth - for more! More of Him and less of myself. I'm looking to the one who is faithful when I'm not. I'm looking to the one who is established and strong when I'm not. Life is rich when Christ is the center and that's my prayer today. God, take center stage. You're faithful to establish and keep me. Please do both and deliver me from evil.
It's always around this time I find my heart grappling for those things that are the best to hold on to. Maybe it's the beginning of Spring and that feeling in the air that anything is possible! I'm ready for the best in life. I want more in every area of what we call "life."
Maybe this is because April is a month that holds quite a bit of meaning for me. Call it the month of reckoning and rebirth but it's rich with meaning for me.
In April of my junior in high school, I could no longer walk away from the incredible love, power and grace that I saw in the eyes of Christ, the Creator and Sustainer of life. I had a lot of questions about life, a lot of anger and pain from past experiences and a lot of guilt and shame for things. Ultimately, my flesh cried out for meaning, for purpose, for truth. What I experienced up to that point could not be the sum end of all of life. For if it was, I was done.
For what seemed like the first time, I heard the truth about Christ. The freedom, the love and passion I experienced at that time was like nothing I'd ever experienced in my life. My identity was rocked to the core. There was a reckoning and a rebirth. Becoming a Christ-follower was all I wanted to think about. He became everything to me and I wanted to learn how to walk that out.
April also became the month where, as a Christ-follower, I celebrate Easter. If Christ didn't rise above the elements of gravity, my faith is in vain. Not only did He rise again from the dead, bringing meaning and purpose to the fact that He's a LIVING God, but every morning when the things that want to destroy me, those elements of my heart that are dead inside, when I feel cold to the things that would bring me life, Christ rises again and again in my heart and says "Come, follow me!". He is alive in the world and alive in me. And it's for this reason I celebrate Easter.
This morning I read "But the LORD is faithful, who shall establish you, and keep you from evil" (2 Thessalonians 3:3) and I believe it. I've seen others more noble than me who professed the name of Christ and later found themselves in a ship-wrecked yard in their faith. What I'm looking at this morning as an evil in the world is when my heart becomes cold, callous and unmoved by the words of the Creator and Sustainer of life.
I'm crying out on the brink of another April - the month of reckoning and rebirth - for more! More of Him and less of myself. I'm looking to the one who is faithful when I'm not. I'm looking to the one who is established and strong when I'm not. Life is rich when Christ is the center and that's my prayer today. God, take center stage. You're faithful to establish and keep me. Please do both and deliver me from evil.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
This mornings reading
I don't know what it is about being outside and seeing the landscapes in Spring and Summer, but my heart comes alive with praise and thanksgiving to the God who made it all for our pleasure and sheer enjoyment!
This morning while reading from a parallel Bible, (The Message Remix) which means it's not a word for word translation, but more of a Bible you would put next to a "real" Bible while studying just to give you more "juicy" words to chew on, my heart resonated with how vast and expansive are the number of things created things to consider and how God has fashioned them and deserves our praise! What amazes me is that He still chose to extend His hand to me and invite me in, to be a part of His story, His creation! This morning my heart is light and full with life! Thank you to my amazing Creator!
Psalm 95
"Come, let's shout praises to God, raise the roof for the Rock who saved us! let's march into his presence singing praises, lifting the rafters with our hymns! And why? Because God is the best, High King over all the gods. In one hand he holds deep caves and caverns, in the other grasps the high mountains. He made Ocean - he owns it! His hands sculpted the Earth!
So, come, let us worship: bow before Him, on your knees before God, who made us! Oh yes, he's our God, and we're the people He pastures, the flock He feeds. Drop everything and listen, listen as he speaks! Don't turn a deaf ear as in the bitter uprising, as on the day of the wilderness test, when your ancestors turned and put me to the test. Forty years they watched me at work among them as over and over they tried my patience. And I was provoked-Oh, was I provoked! Can't they keep their minds on God for five minutes?? Do they simply refuse to walk down my road? Exasperated, I exploded, "They'll never get where they're headed, never be able to sit down and rest."
Psalm 96
"Sing God a brand new song! Earth and everyone in it, sing! Sing to God - worship God! Shout the news of his victory from sea to sea, take the news of his glory to the lost, news of his wonders to one and all! For God is great, and worth a thousand Hallelujahs. His terrible beauty makes the gods look cheap; Pagan gods are mere tatter and rags. God mad the heavens - royal splendor radiates from him, a powerful beauty sets him apart. Bravo, God, Bravo! Everyone join in the great shout: Encore! In awe before His beauty, in awe before His might....."
Psalm 97
"God rules: there's something to shout over! ON the double, mainlands and islands, celebrate! Bright clouds and storm clouds circle 'round him; right and justice anchor his rule. Fire blazes out before him, flaming high up the craggy mountains. His lightnings light up the world; earth, wide-eyed trembles in fear. The mountains take one look at God and melt, melt like wax before earth's Lord. The heavens announce that he'll set everything right, and everyone will see it happen - glorious! All who serve handcrafted gods will be sorry - and they were so proud of their ragamuffin gods! On your knees, all you gods - worship him! And Zion, you listen and take heart! Daughters of Zion, sing your hearts out: God has done it all, has set everything right. You, God, are High God of the cosmos, Far, far higher than any of the gods. God loves all who hate evil, and those who love him he keeps safe. Snatches them from the grip of the wicked. Light-seeds are planted in the souls of God's people, joy seeds are planted in good heart-soil. So, God's people, shout praise to God, Give thanks to our Holy God!"
This morning while reading from a parallel Bible, (The Message Remix) which means it's not a word for word translation, but more of a Bible you would put next to a "real" Bible while studying just to give you more "juicy" words to chew on, my heart resonated with how vast and expansive are the number of things created things to consider and how God has fashioned them and deserves our praise! What amazes me is that He still chose to extend His hand to me and invite me in, to be a part of His story, His creation! This morning my heart is light and full with life! Thank you to my amazing Creator!
Psalm 95
"Come, let's shout praises to God, raise the roof for the Rock who saved us! let's march into his presence singing praises, lifting the rafters with our hymns! And why? Because God is the best, High King over all the gods. In one hand he holds deep caves and caverns, in the other grasps the high mountains. He made Ocean - he owns it! His hands sculpted the Earth!
So, come, let us worship: bow before Him, on your knees before God, who made us! Oh yes, he's our God, and we're the people He pastures, the flock He feeds. Drop everything and listen, listen as he speaks! Don't turn a deaf ear as in the bitter uprising, as on the day of the wilderness test, when your ancestors turned and put me to the test. Forty years they watched me at work among them as over and over they tried my patience. And I was provoked-Oh, was I provoked! Can't they keep their minds on God for five minutes?? Do they simply refuse to walk down my road? Exasperated, I exploded, "They'll never get where they're headed, never be able to sit down and rest."
Psalm 96
"Sing God a brand new song! Earth and everyone in it, sing! Sing to God - worship God! Shout the news of his victory from sea to sea, take the news of his glory to the lost, news of his wonders to one and all! For God is great, and worth a thousand Hallelujahs. His terrible beauty makes the gods look cheap; Pagan gods are mere tatter and rags. God mad the heavens - royal splendor radiates from him, a powerful beauty sets him apart. Bravo, God, Bravo! Everyone join in the great shout: Encore! In awe before His beauty, in awe before His might....."
Psalm 97
"God rules: there's something to shout over! ON the double, mainlands and islands, celebrate! Bright clouds and storm clouds circle 'round him; right and justice anchor his rule. Fire blazes out before him, flaming high up the craggy mountains. His lightnings light up the world; earth, wide-eyed trembles in fear. The mountains take one look at God and melt, melt like wax before earth's Lord. The heavens announce that he'll set everything right, and everyone will see it happen - glorious! All who serve handcrafted gods will be sorry - and they were so proud of their ragamuffin gods! On your knees, all you gods - worship him! And Zion, you listen and take heart! Daughters of Zion, sing your hearts out: God has done it all, has set everything right. You, God, are High God of the cosmos, Far, far higher than any of the gods. God loves all who hate evil, and those who love him he keeps safe. Snatches them from the grip of the wicked. Light-seeds are planted in the souls of God's people, joy seeds are planted in good heart-soil. So, God's people, shout praise to God, Give thanks to our Holy God!"
the best Chiropractor in Reno :)
I had no idea how amazing Chiropractic adjustments can be. Back in October I injured my shoulder and had to take some time away from swimming. When I happened to ask a regular doctor about it, he gave me exercises and it actually got worse. I decided to ask Dr. Gomez about my shoulder and when I told him the exercises the doctor gave me, He said, "That's the worse thing you can do for it." He explained what was probably going on with the bone/muscle structure there and started working on adjusting it. He also gave me some exercises to do. It took about six weeks, but I have my shoulder back! Thank you Dr. G!
More recently, my lower back has been in a ton of pain. I think it's because I haven't been as good about stretching after workouts. But after a swift reminder from James, I'm back on track with stretching. My lower back still gets tight very quickly so I've been getting adjusted there and wow! What an incredible difference. I will never go back to living without chiropractic adjustments. And that's all I have to say about that.
If you're looking for a good Chiropractor in Reno, I strongly suggest Dr. Aric Gomez. 853-0250. :)
More recently, my lower back has been in a ton of pain. I think it's because I haven't been as good about stretching after workouts. But after a swift reminder from James, I'm back on track with stretching. My lower back still gets tight very quickly so I've been getting adjusted there and wow! What an incredible difference. I will never go back to living without chiropractic adjustments. And that's all I have to say about that.
If you're looking for a good Chiropractor in Reno, I strongly suggest Dr. Aric Gomez. 853-0250. :)
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Green's Color
Shamrocks, Leprechauns, the Color Green, a Pot of Gold, and Guinness Beer. I wish you all these and more. The luck of the Irish! But wait!! Is this the essence of the holiday? For starters, what I find interesting is that St Patrick wasn't even Irish. When I found that out, I was curious.
How did this non-Irish man become so entrenched in Irish history? His integral part of the Irish heritage is in the way he served the country in the 5th century in very unique ways. Patrick (Patricius), which was most likely his Romanized name, grew up as the son of a Roman-British officer. At a young age, he was captured from Britain where he was sold as a slave in Ireland. He spent six years in prison there and during that time, he had an encounter with God that changed the direction of his life.
The story goes that his escape from Ireland was God-ordained and God-directed. When he escaped, he went to Britian and to France and studied in a monastery for 12 years. After becoming a Catholic bishop, He had a dream that the Irish were calling him back to Ireland to tell them about God. He was given the Pope's blessing and went to Ireland. Many of the Gaelic Irish became Christ-followers as He traveled across the country for over 20 years sharing Christ and baptizing a lot of people. He established monasteries, schools, churches but his commitment to the Irish people also caused tension with the Celtic Druids who arrested him on several occasions.
The fact that Patrick was used to bring native Irishmen and women to a vibrant faith and develop the culture and community is a part of history. Now we celebrate it with Guinness beer. I guess that's not all bad, but Pat's life was richer with substance than any Guinness you might drink today. And for any beer drinkers, I guess that's saying a lot.
By the end of the 7th century, many stories were circulated about Patrick's life. It was said he used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the concept of the Trinity - the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. There's also a legend that he asked God to take authority over venomous snakes in Ireland, driving all the snakes into the sea where they drowned. These may be legends but after some 1500 years, these legends have been inseparably combined with facts. Patrick's mission in Ireland ended on March 17, AD 461 when he died and now this day is celebrated worldwide as St. Patrick's Day.
As you take a sip of your beer, look for your pot of gold, and sport a bit of green, remember He was a man on a mission. As my body shop bag reads, "Green is not just a color, it's a state of mind." Not really sure how that applies, but go with it.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Comparisons
Two things took place this morning as I was reading the good book and asking for some heart issues to be resolved within. First, the words to a song started playing and really had an impact. I listened to the song about 10 times......."..Write your word upon my heart...I have no good apart from you...I keep running after broken cisterns that never satisfy....Won't you open up my soul....I wanna be with you where you are....Preserve me, Oh God"
And second, I identified a heart issue going on in me that wasn't good at all. I was reminded this morning how deadly comparisons can be. I think for women we struggle with this more than men as we are constantly bombarded with images in pop-culture of other women (that often have been photo-shopped or airbrushed) that are used to sell products in commercials. Maybe I'm the only one who struggles with this stuff.
But, this morning it was as if God, my creator, asked me....
"Really Jen? Seriously?? You are going to compare yourself to these images and people? Don't compare yourself to others. It's poisonous. It's deadly. Why don't you compare yourself to me (Jesus) because the attributes and qualities that make you genuinely beautiful are in me not these images."
Ouch. OUCH!! That hurt. And so I will be trying once again to walk this out. Of course I care about staying healthy. Yet I was reminded what the Bible says, "Charm is deceitful, beauty is fleeting...a woman who fears the Lord should be praised,". As much time as I may spend on other things to look and feel good, I can't neglect the internal side of my life because that's what's eternal, that's what's going to last!
Comparisons are like those broken cisterns that can't hold under pressure and/or run dry. Comparisons are empty and leave us feeling empty and wanting. But God's character fills us up and we're left with joy. I don't need to be focusing on comparing myself to others. That thing is cracked and deadly. I need to focus my heart and mind on the one who authors life. I need to ask him to renew and preserve me in His image. When I'm tempted to compare, I need to remember to compare myself to the qualities I love about Christ. And that settles it.
And second, I identified a heart issue going on in me that wasn't good at all. I was reminded this morning how deadly comparisons can be. I think for women we struggle with this more than men as we are constantly bombarded with images in pop-culture of other women (that often have been photo-shopped or airbrushed) that are used to sell products in commercials. Maybe I'm the only one who struggles with this stuff.
But, this morning it was as if God, my creator, asked me....
"Really Jen? Seriously?? You are going to compare yourself to these images and people? Don't compare yourself to others. It's poisonous. It's deadly. Why don't you compare yourself to me (Jesus) because the attributes and qualities that make you genuinely beautiful are in me not these images."
Ouch. OUCH!! That hurt. And so I will be trying once again to walk this out. Of course I care about staying healthy. Yet I was reminded what the Bible says, "Charm is deceitful, beauty is fleeting...a woman who fears the Lord should be praised,". As much time as I may spend on other things to look and feel good, I can't neglect the internal side of my life because that's what's eternal, that's what's going to last!
Comparisons are like those broken cisterns that can't hold under pressure and/or run dry. Comparisons are empty and leave us feeling empty and wanting. But God's character fills us up and we're left with joy. I don't need to be focusing on comparing myself to others. That thing is cracked and deadly. I need to focus my heart and mind on the one who authors life. I need to ask him to renew and preserve me in His image. When I'm tempted to compare, I need to remember to compare myself to the qualities I love about Christ. And that settles it.
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