My journals says at the beginning of every page:
"What I'm hanging hope on today"
My response today:
That God is not human.
And the promises He makes, He keeps.
He is faithful.
And He continuously loves someone as faint as me.
Not secretly either. For all the world to see.
He sent His son to die.
Tomorrow I will wake up feeling different about life.
But, Lord, You will be the same.
Tomorrow I will offer different parts of me.
But, Lord, You will be offering the same.
Tomorrow I might not display my love as strongly.
But, Lord, You will be loving me the same.
"For Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. "
Hebrews 13:8
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Saturday, January 11, 2014
I Am Speaking to Myself
First night and morning in the new apartment. It will take time for me to feel like a resident instead of a guest. I'm sitting on my bed. It faces the door and is parallel to the huge window that displayed a pretty terrifying lightening show last night. I woke up at 4 a.m. and convinced myself that the moment was never going to end. And now, you can hardly even tell it began.
The trees are not shaking violently anymore. The sky is clear. The sun is out.
That forever moment lasted- at most- thirty minutes.
It reminds me of life.
This forever moment called life feels a lot like eternity at times. But take care, my fellow believers, for our life is but a mist and your actual eternity is in heaven.
James 4:14
"Why, you don't even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."
We are worried about this false forever called life instead of our true forever that comes after life. And because life is a mist, there is no time to waste. That is why there is so much urgency to get an education, get married, and have kids. But our urgency is misplaced. Get married, have kids, get a good job but don't put those things above the more important urgency of sharing the gospel.
I'm speaking to myself. I have put being successful in the three things above over earnestly seeking out people to share with. Not to make converts and feel good about myself but to honestly and intentionally pour into someone's hopeless life the hopefulness in Christ.
I can blame it on my shy personality all I want but we are new creations in Christ and what we have been revealed to should take an army for us to keep in and hold back.
So, what's the excuse for not sharing the gospel? Nothing.
It's disobedience to the call of the Lord.
Matthew 28:19-20
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, until the very end of the age."
This is every Christian's calling, not just the ones called to be missionaries. We are all missionaries. You don't have to go to Africa, China, or Greenland to share the gospel.
The guy sitting next to you on the bus, the new girl at work, possibly even your parents or family members. They are all people who need to know about Jesus and they are found in the common places you live in every day. It can be scary, uncomfortable, painfully awkward and it is most definitely easier said than done. But life is a mist, which means the message is urgent.
So turn your head, look at these people in the eye, and introduce yourself. Build a relationship with them, show them Christ, encourage them, share life with them. This isn't the recipe to save someone's life because we are not in the business to do that. We are merely being obedient to our calling as Christians. God will do the revealing, saving, and changing of lives. Because He isn't absent from us. All the while you are nervously talking to this stranger, Jesus is with you "until the very end of the age."
The trees are not shaking violently anymore. The sky is clear. The sun is out.
That forever moment lasted- at most- thirty minutes.
It reminds me of life.
This forever moment called life feels a lot like eternity at times. But take care, my fellow believers, for our life is but a mist and your actual eternity is in heaven.
James 4:14
"Why, you don't even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."
We are worried about this false forever called life instead of our true forever that comes after life. And because life is a mist, there is no time to waste. That is why there is so much urgency to get an education, get married, and have kids. But our urgency is misplaced. Get married, have kids, get a good job but don't put those things above the more important urgency of sharing the gospel.
I'm speaking to myself. I have put being successful in the three things above over earnestly seeking out people to share with. Not to make converts and feel good about myself but to honestly and intentionally pour into someone's hopeless life the hopefulness in Christ.
I can blame it on my shy personality all I want but we are new creations in Christ and what we have been revealed to should take an army for us to keep in and hold back.
So, what's the excuse for not sharing the gospel? Nothing.
It's disobedience to the call of the Lord.
Matthew 28:19-20
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, until the very end of the age."
This is every Christian's calling, not just the ones called to be missionaries. We are all missionaries. You don't have to go to Africa, China, or Greenland to share the gospel.
The guy sitting next to you on the bus, the new girl at work, possibly even your parents or family members. They are all people who need to know about Jesus and they are found in the common places you live in every day. It can be scary, uncomfortable, painfully awkward and it is most definitely easier said than done. But life is a mist, which means the message is urgent.
So turn your head, look at these people in the eye, and introduce yourself. Build a relationship with them, show them Christ, encourage them, share life with them. This isn't the recipe to save someone's life because we are not in the business to do that. We are merely being obedient to our calling as Christians. God will do the revealing, saving, and changing of lives. Because He isn't absent from us. All the while you are nervously talking to this stranger, Jesus is with you "until the very end of the age."
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