It's so hard to spend time writing all my thoughts here. Hello world. I wish you could just read my mind. Haha, but I guess that even sharing things with other people takes practice.

God has been awesome lately. So much grace and love. Yet he never runs out, and I still haven't seen anything yet. =] Box has been opened

In One Day

In one day, you can forget so much about being humble. You forget that it is only through the Love of Christ that we are worth anything. It's so easy to think that because we begin to understand the Love of God, that we are better than others; the second we are taught to be humble, we become proud of our humility. The Love of Christ is not something we obtain because we have some secret knowledge, but is given to us when we, with all our hearts, run after Jesus for his love and compassion because we are so sinful that we can't even hope to save ourselves. But we come to know that the blood of Jesus paid for our sins, today, yesterday, and in the days to come.

What has happened to our contempt for wickedness??

I am

a broken and fragmented person, who longs to be whole.

Too much respect

Just because you respect someone spiritually, doesn't mean that they are always spiritually strong. Don't just keep on assuming they are doing well.

Something I've realized

It's not bad to use ideas from other people.

Depending on God

After a run in with sin this morning, I must keep reminding myself that in these times where I feel ashamed and unworthy, I need to run toward God in surrender and dependence, and not hide in the shadows as Adam did.

Today's passage was the prodigal son!

(un)fortunately, I've heard countless sermons on this parable, and I know it well. But because of that, I don't usually find the hidden treasures that may lie within.

But I'm reminded of the fact that when the son decides to return to the father, there is hint that the son may not even have been sorry, that he was reciting an apology in order to find food and protection. Of course, he may have been genuinely sorry, and the passage just doesn't reflect that. In ANY case, it is the FATHER who pours down love upon the son. Whether the son was sincere or insincere, the father was gracious and overflowing with love for his son.

God has such a scandalous love for us. How could we ever deny that love?

Plastic

I want my life to be plastic. I want to be constantly be molded by God, never complacent in the securities of the world. If I experience tragedy, I want to be shaped by it and rise up above it. If I find blessings, I want to live in such a way as to spread those blessings to all those around me. I want to yield readily to God so that I can become whatever He desires me to become.

Day 2

Definitely harder to wake up today, although I was trying to wake up 30 min earlier. Had an interesting dream though.

Luke 13:6-9 was pretty crazy. It was about how God keeps the wicked and unfruitful alive, even though they produce nothing. The owner of the vineyard asks to keep the tree a little while longer, but will cut it down if it does not produce fruit. We have no idea when our time is due. Maybe we are complacent with our lives because we live comfortably, and we really don't see a change coming. But God could just be letting us run our last stretch, to see if we really are worth keeping around, and if that's the case, then we need to repent immediately. Who is this passage for? Mostly the unrepentant... I think, but as Christians, I think this is a reminder that our friends, family, etc who don't know Jesus may be on their last stretch. We should always remind ourselves of the urgency of the message of Jesus Christ.

Luke 13:31-35 reminds me a lot of what LP's commissioning service was partially about. Basically, there is no reason to fear death, because God will not let you die until you fulfill your purpose. In any case, Jesus' ultimate purpose in this world was to die on the cross and save the whole world.

Psalms 110 today was a big connection to God. It was the "Lord says to my Lord" and the "Priest in the order of Melchizedek" passage. It's amazing how even David prophesied the coming of Jesus, and it's very interesting to see both Jesus and the author of Hebrews using this passage.

New Start

As second semester begins and all the work I have to do piles up, I have decided to break from unnecessary media until my MCAT date, and am determined to be committed to that. So I realize that I will have to draw a lot of my strength from God this semester... and I will be doing my devos each morning (except wednesday) and writing my thoughts here. I hope you can keep me accountable for that.

"Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless. With God we will gain the victory and he will trample down our enemies." Psalm 108:12-13

Psalm 108 and 109 talk about evil men who rise up against us and in each the psalmist calls upon God for the victory, asking him to save him. In each, the psalmist praises God among the peoples for his love and his goodness. God alone gives us the strength we need and the clarity we need. Now, I don't have enemies that are rising against me, so I feel like I can store that application away for later when I really do feel persecuted, but this passage reminds me to trust in God alone. God is the one who creates our path in life. The people around us can help give us encouragement, or some guidance, but in the end, we must trust God fully to lead us through seasons of trial and blessing. And Praise. Praise God for who he is, and exalt him amongst your friends, family, coworkers, classmates, etc.

It is good to praise the Lord.