|
SubscriptionsSites I Read
|
|
|
|
| Lamentations 5
Remember, O Lord, what is come upon us; consider, and behold our reproach. Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens. We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers are as widows...Our necks are under persecution, we labour, and have no rest...Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities. Servants have ruled over us: there is none that doth deliver us out of their hand...Princes are hanged up by their hand; the faces of elders were not honoured...The elders have ceased from the gate, the young men from their musick, The joy of our heart is ceased; our dance is turned into mourning. The crown is fallen from our head: woe unto us, that we have sinned! For this our heart is faint; for these things our eyes are dim...Thou, O Lord, remainest forever; thy throne from generation to generation. Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, and forsake us so long time? Turn thou us unto Thee, O Lord, and we shall be turned, renew our days as of old. But Thou hast utterly rejected us; Thou art very wroth against us.
Lamentations is one of my favorite books of the Bible. If you've read previous devotions, you can probably tell. Many people cling to the books like the gospels, Psalms, or perhaps Revelation, all of which are either more positive or at least more interesting. But I've always enjoyed digging into Lamentations, because I find it so intriguing that the writer ends his letter to God, almost on a positive note, asking God for His mercy, and then adds on verse 22, reiterating how 'wroth' God is with us.
The expulsion from the Garden of Eden was the first time God had to punish His people for their wrongdoings. Then came the Great Flood, which cleansed an Earth so awful, the Lord had to destroy almost the entire population all at once. Throughout history, we've done an awfully good job at ticking off God.
Why do we do that?
What would cause any one of us to believe that we are even semi-worthy of being so selfish that we take away what is deserved by the One who breathed life into us?
Why do we walk away for ridiculous reasons, wanting to please ourselves or getting so frustrated with the 'bondage' we feel Christianity places upon us?
It's exactly that: when living for the Lord, people can take one of two options. The first, and most detrimental to our lives, is that opinion that God gave us a set of rules to follow to keep us trapped. Those of this persuasion are often Christians by birth, if you follow my meaning. Though we do not gain salvation by who our parents are or the fact that we go to church all the time, some of those who are raised by Christian parents and/or are avid churchgoes, feel as if they are obligated to dedicate their life to God. However, these people are not the only ones that eventually feel this way. It's so easy for the devil to plant little grains of doubt in our minds about God, and those grains grow into huge oaks, overshadowing what God is trying to plant and garden in our souls.
I know someone who's been recently caught in this entrapment. A dear friend broke my heart recently. I put myself on no pedastal, because I've made more than my share of bad decisions in my life, but I usually have enough sense to try and help others with struggles in their lives, even when I'm struggling with things at the same time. I suppose that's because, no matter what, deep inside of me, I know the right path. But, back to the subject: I should rephrase. There is not one single friend who has broken my heart. There are a few. And I look back on my influence on them, I look back at my own selfish decisions, and that's when I begin to feel guilty. I feel as if their problems are my fault, my doing for not saying the right thing or doing the right thing when it was my own decision. Then I have to present myself, broken and scarred, at the altar because I let my care for them take me over.
I don't like having my heart broken. And I love you.
The second opinion we can take towards God is the proper one, a more selfless attitude. I have chosen to believe, or perhaps it's simply just to realize, that God loves me so much and has done so much for me that I'm completely undeserving of, that I want to do all I can for Him. Then, following the "rules" comes naturally.
And you know the funny thing?
If someone is to be so selfish as to deny God's righteousness and gifts, they will be faced with them one day ultimately. They will be shoved to the ground, prostrate onto their face, and have to admit that they were wrong.
So I ask, what is the benefit of waiting? Why not choose the right path now and receive the greatest treasure in all Heaven and Earth?
God's love is ultimate. He will never stop loving you. Why do you think He gives us so many opportunities to follow Him? Why has He given us the freedom to sing and shout and dance if He does not intend for us to use them?
But God's love is not his only characteristic. He is also wrathful, as the writer of Lamentations presents. He is jealous, He is to be feared, He is perfectly just.
We have sinned. Every single one of us, everyone who ever lived or will one day live, with the exception of Christ, has sinned. We are dirty, filthy, infinitely worse than the smelly homeless drug addict in the alley.
Accept the theoretical shower, new clothes, and rehab. In other words: don't deny what God has so lovingly placed for us to have. Will there be struggles? Hard days? Tears? Of course. But why choose to face those things to come alone?
Here am I,
All of me.
Take my life,
It's all for Thee.
Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Your feet its treasure store.
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee. | | |
| Lamentations 1:20
Behold, O Lord; for I am in distress: my bowels are troubled; mine
heart is turned within me; for I have grievously rebelled: abroad the
sword bereaveth, at home there is death.
Put
simply, life sucks sometimes. I've definitely realized that in
the past few months. College is such a huge change from life in
high school, more so than I anticipated. At first, I was just
miserable. I had a crappy outlook on everything, I couldn't see
the good in anything. I wanted everything that wasn't available
to have, and the things that were there, I thought unworthy of my
time. So many times in life have I had to realize that God is my
only redemption and source of happiness.
I tried to find happiness in so many things, some of them completely
innocent. But I stopped reading my Bible. I started doing
some slightly shady things. I did one or two things that I've
stated on this very blog I don't approve of. Life needed a
turnaround. With the help of my parents, my wonderful new
boyfriend, some other friends, and some good 'ol common sense, I
realized
where my joy should and did lie. Like I've said many times
before, we all screw up. We all get sidetracked and backtracked
and uptracked...okay, maybe not uptracked. But you get the point.
Only when I came back to my senses (well, God's senses) and began
reading my Bible again and doing what I should be instead of what I
wanted to, I found happiness again. I'm good with facades.
I usually wear my feelings on my sleeve, but if I really want to hide
them, you'd never know it was fake.
I refuse to be a fake.
If you're struggling with something, anything, please
tell someone who can help. Not just people your own age.
Tell Christian parents. If you don't have those, tell your pastor
or pastor's wife or some mentor that can truly help you. If you
have no one to talk to, my cell phone is always on. Leave me a
comment and I'll get you my number or you can give me yours. I
want to be an encourager. Experiences in life that leave us
feeling down can be one of two things: a growing experience or just a
horrible thing. I want to grow and use what I've learned to help
anyone who needs it.
Jesus, give me the strength. To
live in Your Word and will is not always the easiest, but it is always
the right. Forgive me for my faults; accept my screw-ups.
Please mold me into Your image...that's why I'm here.
| | |
| I've started school in Mount Vernon. It's been a great experience
so far, with lots of ups and down, though they're expected with such a
big life change. There's been one particular subject on my mind
ever since I went to Myrtle Beach with a friend a few weeks ago that I
want to write about.
Remember surrender? Surrender is at the core of all we do.
What stops us from being surrendered?
Simple, one-word answer: selfishness.
I've been praying about selfishness lately...I'd gotten so caught up in
thinking I had this 'great' Christian life that I started to lose sight
of what I was really living for. It's not hard to get comfortable
with Christ and let other things distract you.
When a situation didn't work out recently the way I'd hoped, I started
to get so frustrated because God wasn't answering my prayer the way I
thought He should. I felt so alone because no matter what I did,
how much I prayed, or how much I read His Word, I couldn't feel
anything change. I started losing track of reading my
Bible. I didn't want to pray a lot. Singing His praises
felt so empty for a little while.
I hate that feeling. It reminds me of last year, when my life seemed like it was falling apart.
With much struggle from the carnal side of my mind and body, I
surrendered myself again to God. It was not easy, and I will not
lie and say everything is peachy keen all of a sudden. I will
tell you, however (again), that God gives me so much greater joy than
any stupid human thing ever could.
And, He works in me and through me and to me in ways I never could have
thought up on my own. I think that may be the hardest part of my
struggle: I want to see an end result of what's happening right now,
which simply just won't happen.
To tell the truth, the problem I've been struggling with is the one
I've been writing about for weeks in this journal. I wonder now,
in retrospect, if Satan's been downing me on this so much more lately
because someone may have read what I wrote and taken it to heart.
I don't know. Whatever the case, God is good.
All the time.
Back to selfishness.
Tonight, I attended a small Apostalic church here in Mount Vernon with
Justin's small group (leader, Somomo). It was so great.
There were like 5 people sitting in the pews besides us from the Naz,
yet God's presence was so evident you couldn't help but feel it.
When Rev. Massey began to speak, I knew the sermon was meant for me.
And the boy sitting next to me.
The best illustration I have heard thus far explaining our selfishness vs. God's wisdom: (edited to relate more to myself)
Dr. Pepper is my favorite soft drink
on the market. A cold glass of it makes me smile every
time. Water, however, as sustenance, offers no such
feeling. I don't only not like water, I actually kind of hate to
drink it. On the other hand, I feel as if I have to drink it; I
have some obligation to do so.
What if that's not true?
Look at your life as if you're a plastic cup. You fill yourself
up to the brim with simple water. You may not really like water,
but you see it as something you are obliged to do. After a while,
being filled with the water feels comfortable. So what if there's
something better? The water makes me feel like I'm in control of who I
am.
But, see, in order to put something better in your plastic cup, you
first have to pour out the water willingly. God wants to fill us
with icy-cold Dr. Pepper, something that will make us (well, me,
anyway) not only satisfied but overflowing with joy.
If you want God's will in your life, you have to be willing to pour out
your water so HE can fill you with His great love (whether it's Dr.
Pepper or Mountain Dew, or whatever you prefer).
If you're willing to make any sacrifice for His sake, you have
to begin with yourself. It may seem hard, and you may feel at a
loss...but Christ can fill you so much that you see the water you had
before and see complete emptiness.
You'll never be able to control your life the best. Selfishness
causes us to want to make decisions for our OWN best...well, at least
we think they're for the best. However, making decisions in Christ's name and basing them on the needs of others, not yourself, gives you better blessing than you'll ever have otherwise.
Can you make a sacrifice of your own life in order to live His?
Phillippians 1:19-21
For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer,
and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest
expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that
with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in
my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
| | |
| Raise your hand if you're in a relationship.
My hand stayed down.
Raise your hand if you've ever been in a serious dating relationship.
Sheepishly, it goes up.
Keep your hand raised if that relationship caused more grief than happiness.
The hand remains in the air.
As you've probably gathered from my few previous entries, I'm not a huge fan of most teenage dating relationships. Not to say they can't ever work, just that they usually end up causing more pain than joy.
Now that we've gone over the other three factors to relationships (love/dating/purity), I'll focus on this all-inclusive issue.
I would like to be dating someone. Not just anyone, a certain someone.
When does that get in the way of my relationship with God, and when is it pleasing to God?
Good question.
I always had this really bad habit of obsessing over guys. If anyone knew me when I liked a boy named Drew, you'd probably all think I was nuts. Obsession is not pleasing. Neither is putting a romance in front of your relationship with Christ. The second that guy or gal becomes more important than anything else, the relationship or feeling has gone too far and needs to be dealt with through prayer.
But God certainly does not hate romance. He created us to be romantic, sexual creatures. Of course, as I said before, He put boundaries on that creation to keep us safe; to keep up healthy; to keep us innocent.
God wants you to find someone who you can spend the rest of your life with whilst always keeping CHRIST as the complete center of the relationship. That can be hard, especially as a teenager. But once you have a strong relationship with the Lord (notice your relationship with HIM is first, others second), you can begin to pray and seek God about your dating relationships.
I can't sit and lecture anyone about the most wonderful romance ever: marriage; only for the simple fact that I have yet to experience it.
However, I know from my own parents and other Christian couples that Godly, romantic love is something you should yearn and strive for.
Seek God. If you're patient (which is something I'm dealing with at this very moment) and let God have His time, your fairy tale will really come true.
"Human nature teaches us not to believe in fairy tales. But no matter how much we don't believe it, fairy tales do come true." | | |
| Define purity.
Not that easy, is it?
The dictionary's definition of purity includes: freedom from sin or guilt; innocence; chastity. Well, that kind of sums it up, don't you think? My favorite part of the definition is innocence. Innocence of body, mind, and soul.
Innocence of soul is simple: letting Christ be Lord of it.
Innocence of mind...Well, that's something you hear about sometimes. What goes in our mind comes out our mouths. It also presents itself in our thoughts. If you were to get on the internet tonight, look up a porn website, and spend time gazing at the page and fantasizing in your mind, your mind would never be free of those images and thoughts except through the blood of Christ. Even with Him in the picture, it can be difficult to suppress (or let God suppress) images, thoughts, music, or anything else you listen to that includes anything impure. Innocence of thought also applies to what your mind imagines when it sees something real. After talking to many males of our wonderful species about the subject, I realized that a man's sex drive is like twice as hard as a woman's, in most cases. Even for us girls, it's hard not to see a sexy body and begin to imagine things that aren't appropriate unless they're for our one and only marriage partner.
Having a pure mind doesn't just relate to sex. It also includes things like swearing, drugs, or hatred. Anything you put into your mind that Jesus wouldn't approve of. Now, no one of us can truly go through the real world and not hear a cuss word. We will hear about drugs. We will witness hatred. However, it is the attitude of the heart that Jesus looks at. If you constantly and willingly allow things of that nature to pour into your heart, it will show in your daily life.
Pure body.
You know what? I can't wait to have sex. I am thoroughly excited for that time in my life. God created sexual intercourse and relations for marriage because they were such an awesome thing that they needed a boundary. Although I'm excited for sex, I know that it's in God's plan for me and everyone else to wait.
I've learned from personal experience that sexual impurity sucks. Even that little stray from what you know is right can build up so much guilt, so much anger, and so much frustration that no little feeling is worth that. But you know what else? It's good that we feel guilty when we use sex improperly. It's really one of the only things that prevents those of us who find it important from dropping our trousers and going for it.
I've talked to quite a few Christian married couples on this subject. If you will pray and seek God, and keep your body pure, the rewards when sex is used at the right time are incredible.
Two more things: number one, how do you make it easiest for yourself to remain pure? Two, how do you keep yourself from being a stumbling block to someone else?
The answer to number one is simple and actually quite old hat for many of us church-goers. Keep yourself clear of dirty internet sites, magazines, or anything like that. As far as internet goes: put a block on your computer, for your own safety. Stay away from movies that are only sex and swearing. That one's a toughie for me. I'm a huge movie buff. Through some close friends, I've had to realize that if I keep my mind clear of movies like that, my Christian walk improves greatly. Now...sexual relations. First of all: please don't ask 'How far is too far?' If you have to ask that question, you're probably wanting to go too far. Don't forget--impurity starts the moment you allow your mind to lust over someone, not just when you have literal sexual intercourse. I'd have to say that kissing is probably the most proper physical relation. Also: if you know you don't have great self-control (and believe me, I can relate there), don't let yourself get in a situation where you could make a mistake like that. Don't be alone with a boyfriend or girlfriend hours and hours upon end, unless you're in a public place. You know for yourself where and when things can happen that you'll feel guilty for later; avoid them.
Number two: being a stumbling block. Girls, this one is especially relevant for us. You have no idea, how visually oriented the male mind is. Guys, back me up on this. One guy friend described it like this: if you're a girl, imagine the way you feel and think when you're deeply kissing someone you really care for. Okay. That's the way a guy feels when he sees a girl he cares about or thinks is sexy. If you don't want guys (especially your brothers in Christ) to have to avoid you because you wear clothes that reveal way too much, don't buy them. I walked around Kennywood, a small amusment park, the other day, and realized how much girls don't understand the effect their bodies have on guys. Don't wear stuff that shows off every fold of skin you have. Don't throw your boobs out for everyone to see. Don't wear shorts that cover only your butt and crotch and NOTHING else. Don't wear shirts that show off your sexy little tummy. Those are the type of things guys drool over. Do your Christian guy friends a favor: put some more clothes on.
This entry has been really really long, but I hope someone was able to gain something from it. Purity is a huge subject, but it's really important to a strong relationship with Christ.
I don't know if you do, but if anyone wants to talk about this stuff, call me. I've gone through more stuff like this than you may think, and purity has been a big struggle for my own life. My cell phone # is 724 561 8838. Honestly, call anytime. Psalms 24:3-6
Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face. | | |
|
