In but not of

Unless you plan on moving to Mars or Jupiter in the near future, I am going to assume that you live on Earth. I am also going to assume that you live in America for the purpose of this blog post.

In John 15:19 it says, "If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." If we follow Christ, we no longer belong to this world. We are in, but not of.

Think about it this way - an exchange student comes to America. They are IN America, there's no question about that. But they are not OF America. They are not part of the culture, it is not native or normal to them. They might not understand the whole thing, or they might, but either way, they are only IN but not OF America. At the end of their stay they will return to the country they came from which they call home.

The same is true of Christians. We are in this world, but we should not be of it. The traditions, fads, and styles of this world should seem foreign to us.

As John 15:19 says, "you do not belong to the world.... that is why the world hates you." The world loves those who follows it's styles and trends and those who belong to it. The world loves it when we crave money over relationships, because that is what the world encourages. But we cannot serve both God and money; we cannot serve both God and the world.

America has created something called the American Dream. You get a good job, buy a sweet house, get rich quick, and have the good life. But look at the lives of those who love love love God with all their hearts - they go overseas and risk their lives to spread the Gospel, they love with no hesitation, they pour out their hearts to those who need to be saved.

A definition of the American Dream I found online says: "the belief that in the United States hard work and persistence will reap a financially secure, happy, and healthy life, with upward social mobility". But as Christians our work should not be to reap a happy healthy life but to reap the kingdom of Heaven!

The World encourages us to love ourselves, but God wants us to love others. The world wants us to love our money but God wants us to store up riches in Heaven. One cannot serve two masters. God calls us to be in, but not of, the world.

Letting Go

Some friends and I were talking on the phone today. My friend shared a story of how when she was 5, she took piano lessons. Instead of reading the music from the music sheet as she played it, she would count from the middle C on the music and figure out what each note was, and then she would memorize it. If she couldn't figure it out, she would ask her sister to play the song and she would watch her sister's fingers and memorize it that way.

Her teacher and family thought that she was reading the music, but really, she was doing it the hard way - playing through it enough that she had it memorized and then she wouldn't have to learn to read the music. When she was in lessons one day her teacher wanted her to play a note off the music and it was revealed that she couldn't read music.

This story led us to talk about how, as humans, we often do something similar without realizing it. My friend was playing piano the hard way, but she thought she was making it easier on herself. We often try to take life into our own hands because we think that it will be easier to manage our own life than letting God do it.

The funny thing is, when we try to take over, it's so much harder for us! We worry, we plan, we frustrate, and we think everything needs to be just right. If we were just to let go, to let God, our worries and frustrations would disappear! And the end result in life would be so much better if God was the one planning it!

There is a song by Tenth Avenue North that applies to this called Let It Go. The chorus says:

"You say let it go. You say let it go. You say life is waiting for the ones who lose control. You say you will be everything I need. You say if I lose my life it's then I'll find my soul. You say let it go."

And there are SO MANY verses in the Bible about this. To list a few:

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV)

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (NLT)

Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.” (NIV)

Psalm 118:8 “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not upon your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your path.” (~ KJV Ad)

Proverbs 16:9 “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” (NIV)

What I believe

I believe that God is Almighty and over everything in the Earth. He loves us all more than we could ever comprehend (John 3:16). As His children, it is our job to serve, love, praise, and bring glory to Him (1 Corin. 10:31). When this task is accomplished, if we believe in Him, we will go to live with Him in Heaven forever. As David Livingstone wrote, “I am immortal till my work is accomplished.” When we are finished on this earth, God will bring us home, and not sooner.

Though sometimes it may be hard to determine right or wrong, we can always turn to God’s Word for guidance. God is love, so to be like God, we must be like love. In 1 Corin. 13 it says that Love is patient, kind, does not envy or boast, is not proud, rude, self seeking, or easily angered. Love does not keep record of people’s wrongs, it does not delight in evil, but it rejoices in the Truth.

The difference between right and wrong is shown in this passage. If the question is to do something for others or yourself, then you can turn to “love is not self seeking.” If the question involves anger or holding a grudge, this passage can answer it. It also answers questions about pride, respect, patience, and our attitude toward others.

A worldview is how someone looks at and interprets the world. It includes the beliefs used to do this. My worldview is through the Bible. You’ve heard the expression “looking at the world through rose colored glasses”. As Christians we should look at the world through the glasses of Christ. A life lived with this view will look a lot different than a life lived by the ways of the world. The world will be able to see a difference in the person living by Christ’s standards. They will shine as a light in the darkness. As it says in Daniel 12:3, “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and.” Wisdom comes from the Lord.

The things that I believe shape the way I live. If I did not know Jesus, I am sure that I would not pay as much attention to wrong and right, loving, patience, and kindness. As a child of Christ, I am learning new Truths and being led in wisdom. If I was not a Christian, seeking wisdom and gaining understanding would not be as high priorities, if priorities at all.

Everyone’s beliefs are influenced by someone or something. The biggest influences on my worldview come from the Bible, my parents, and the church I belong to (along with the pastors of that church).The world wants to influence all of our worldviews. It wants to make us look at things with criticism, hate, anger, and love of wealth, power, and sin. As Christians it is completely necessary to be grounded in our beliefs, to believe them with our whole hearts, and to stand firm in them, for as it says in Isaiah 7:9, “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.”

My worldview shapes the way I see the world. It also shapes the way I see the government. Many Christians have a sour taste in their mouths about government, thinking that everything the government does is bad in some way. People make jokes about the government, portraying it in a negative light. In Romans 13:1 it tells us “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”

As Christians we need to honor the government and not put them down by harping on their mistakes. All humans make mistakes, just as you or I would in a position of authority. Dishonoring the government by putting them down is disobedient to God. In Romans Paul tells us to be subject to the authorities.

My worldview is shaped around the teachings of the Bible. I believe that God is the Almighty creator and that it is our job to worship and bring glory to Him in all that we do. We must stand firm in our faith and in our worldview so that it does not become the view of the world. We need to honor the government as an authority placed over us by God.

Me Without You

Should've been me

It should have been me. It shouldn't have been Jesus. He didn't deserve it at all. I deserved it. He was perfect. I was a sinner. He died. I lived. There's nothing fair about it. The only word to describe it is LOVE. 

It should've been me
It should've been us
Should've been there hanging on a cross
All of this shame
All of these scars
Should've been stains that were never washed
Why do I hide
Why do you try
Over and over and over again
I guess it just leaves saying thank God
It leaves me saying thank God, thank God
For the should've been

The lyrics above are from a song called Should've Been Me by Citizen Way. I think it's something that we often take for granted. We are alive, and we don't think much about it. But the wages for sin is death. We have all sinned, and we all deserve to die. But Jesus loved us SO MUCH that he died instead. It would have been unjust for God just to take away the punishment without giving it to someone else. God is just. But he is also loving. He knew that we would all sin, and that we would all have to go to Hell for that. 

Rather than letting His children go to eternal separation from Him, He had His Son die. It proves that God is both loving and just. But He is also victorious! Rather than just dying, forgiving us, and calling it good, He wanted us to be able to live with Him forever! Jesus raised from the grave for that!

We need to be careful not to forget that Jesus died for us. He didn't have to do it. He doesn't have to save us. But He loves us like crazy so He did! It should have been us. But because God is loving, it was Him!

Overflowing Joy

I heard a cool definition of the word "sing". It said: "Sing - to allow joy out of the body through musical intonations of the voice".

That right there describes me in a nutshell. If you've ever been around me, I'm sure you've heard me sing. I can't help it. Singing makes my work go faster, my schoolwork easier, my days more enjoyable. Singing makes my thoughts happier, my smile wider, and it helps me to see all the beauty (rather than pain and bad things) in the world around me.

I am filled with a type of joy that can't be described. The only way I know how to let it out is to sing (and play piano, guitar, or bass).

The reason I have this Joy can be found in Psalm 126:3, which says: "The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy". It doesn't say "it gives us a little bit of joy" or we are "half-full of joy". We are filled! To the top! And when something is filled to the top with more coming in, it has to be let out somehow!

The reason that more joy keeps coming in is because God's mercies are new each morning! Blessings are poured out on us ALL THE TIME! When the Holy Spirit lives in us, one of the fruit of the Spirit that we have is JOY. On Google I found a definition of a fruit of the Spirit: it is "a quality of God's character that flows forth through the believer." It doesn't stay inside, it flows forth. It has to come out!

This is why I sing. There are other reasons too, some being that I love praising Jesus and there are definitely things you can say through music and lyrics that are easier to express that way than through speaking. But I think the reason that I am CONSTANTLY singing is because that Joy needs to escape! It is inside of me from the Holy Spirit and it is overflowing through my lips.

Anyone can have this kind of Joy. I am not saying that I am a perfect Christian because the Spirit is in me. I've still got work to do. There are times when I could be more loving or patient, times when I should stop worrying. God promises His Spirit to live in everyone who believes in Him, and the Spirit works in different ways in each of our lives. But when the Spirit comes into you, there are 9 fruits, or qualities of God's character, that come out: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. They certainly don't all just appear at once, as we would sometimes like ("God, please send your Spirit into my life". POOF! You are now patient and have perfect self control and are completely loving!), no it doesn't work that way, but God's spirit WILL work in your life and people WILL see the results.

Or in my case, hear the results :)

A Psalm that I wrote

Oh Lord, your name is great
     Your name is to be praised
We praise you forever.
Sometimes it hurts
     And we wish life wasn't so
     But your promise endures
Your truth prevails
And though the storms come
     And the rains fall
Though the rocks shake
     And the clouds pour out their anger
We will stand firm
And we will praise your great name
     Forever.
And ever.
Oh Lord, your name is great.

Taken for granted

What if you lost everything today? Literally everything - your house, your car, your family, your bedroom, everything. You would realize how much you take these things for granted. Would you think it was unfair that you had lost everything? Would you think that you deserved all of those things?

In the Bible it says; "For the wages of sin is death." Do you know what wages are? Wages are what you are given because you did something. When we work, we get paid. That money is our wages; it is what we get because we did the work.

The wages for sin is death. Because we sin, we get death. That is what we deserve. But if you keep reading that Bible verse it says, "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is Eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Do you know what a gift is? A gift is also something that we are given, but unlike wages, we don't have to do anything to get a gift. it is given to us for free.

Even though we get death because we sin, God gives us Eternal Life as a gift. We don't deserve it. He just gives it to us.

God gives us everything we have. He made us. He gave us life. A lot of us take life for granted. We think that we deserve it. We go to bed expecting to wake up the next morning. But really, we don't deserve life, we deserve death because we sin. Every day is not a given right. When we wake up every morning, we should thank God that He is letting us live another day. Instead of waking up and thinking "I deserved to wake up and live today" we need to think "Wow God. Thanks so much for letting me live another day."

It's so easy to take everything for granted. We think we deserve to eat every day. We think we deserve a bed, a bedroom, and a house. But we really only deserve death. 

Next time you hear someone say something mean to you, instead of thinking "I deserve to be treated better" think "I'm so glad I have ears that can hear." Next time someone cuts in front of you in traffic, instead of thinking "I deserve to be treated better when I'm driving" think "I'm so glad I have a car that can take me places." Next time your mom or dad makes a meal that you don't like, instead of thinking "I deserve to be able to eat food that I like," think "I'm so thankful that I have food that will nourish my body, and I'm so glad that I don't have to go hungry." When your mom or dad says no when you ask for some dessert, instead of thinking "I deserve dessert," think "I'm so happy my mom and dad are concerned with keeping me healthy."

If you don't take anything for granted, and you realize that we don't deserve anything that we have, it makes life look a lot different. You don't wish that you had the next best video game, you can be glad that you have any. You won't wish that you didn't have as much schoolwork, you can be thankful that there are people who care enough to give you a good education.

When we think of things that we are thankful for, usually things like my house and my family come to mind. What if we thought of more things than just those? How about the ability to see, hear, smell, touch, and taste? How about the fact that you can breathe? How about the fact that you can walk? How about the fact that your family has money to feed you?

It makes life look a lot different if we remember to thank God for EVERYTHING.

The new law

Let's do some imagining.

A new law has been made. It has all of these parts:

-You shall have no other gods before the One Living God (that means you can't idolize money, celebrities, TV shows, iDevices, or anything else)
-You cannot have any idols
-You shall not use God's name in vain
-You must observe the Sabbath as holy (this means taking time to honor God and spending time worshipping and loving Him)
-You must honor your parents (only speak respectful words to them, obey them in whatever they ask you to do, etc.)
-You can't kill people (and BTW - hating people is just as bad)
-You shall not commit adultery
-You shall not steal (not even just an MP3 file online)
-You shall not lie (not even a really small lie)
-You shall not covet anything (that means wanting something that someone else has)
-You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor

Do you think anyone could live up to this new law? Here's what happens: everyone "breaks the law". They all sin, by doing something that this law forbids. Some people ignore the law altogether, and some try their hardest but just can't make it. Everyone sins.

What happens? Well the Bible, the book that all these laws came from, says that "For the wages of sin is death." Finish the sentence there, and well, everyone on earth has a death sentence.

But if you keep reading it says "The wages of sin is death, BUT the gift of God is Eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord." While everyone is waiting in jail to be sentenced to death, a man walks in. His name is Jesus, and he smiles and says "Hey everyone, I know you all deserve death, but here's the deal. I am God's Son, and I have never sinned, but I am willing to take your punishment."

The devil laughs and says "Hey Jesus, it will cost your life. Your blood. Your tears. Are you sure these humans are worth it? They will just keep sinning. They will turn from you. What's the point of saving them?"

Jesus says, without hesitation, "Because I love them".

He loves us so much that He was willing to die because of our sins. But that's not the end...

Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead. He literally died and came back to life. He did it to show that death has no grip on him. Hell has no power over the living God. Because He rose from the dead, we all have the gift of Eternal Life. All we have to do is ask.

But should we just keep sinning? Of course not! We died to sin, we should not live in sin anymore. We are free from our sinful nature.

A great chapter of the Bible to read about this is Romans 8. It says "Through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of Life set me free from the law of sin and death." We are free!

I hope you know Jesus as your personal savior. If you do, I would encourage you to spend more time with Him daily. He would love to give you full peace and assurance, if you will only let him.

If you don't know Jesus, I totally encourage you to read the Bible and hear about the message of Salvation. Then pray a prayer something like this:

God,I know I'm a sinner. I know that I do wrong. I say things without thinking, and I do things that hurt people. Please be in my heart and help me to make the right choices. Help me to share your love and be a beacon of light and hope in a dark land. Help the words I say to be the RIGHT words, and help them show love and not anger or hard feelings. Help me to forgive easily and forget the wrong done to me.God, I want to be more like you. You are holy, true, noble, pure, right, good, amazing, and praiseworthy, and I'm not anywhere near your holiness. Help me to learn your ways.Please let your Holy Spirit live in me. I love you.In Jesus' name, amen.


Thanks for reading :) ~Molly

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I'm not afraid

Psalm 118:6
The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?


Psalm 27:3
Though an army besiege me,
   my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
   even then I will be confident.




Interesting thought - as Christians we should be able to say: "I don't care if the whole army sets out to get me, I don't care if the whole world rages war against me, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. God is with me! What can some humans do to me? The creator of the universe is backing me up."


I'm not sure I would be able to say that if the whole army started charging at me... I would love to have that kind of faith.


MMM <3

Who are you?

Who are you?

The man who lost his job and feels like the whole world is falling down?

The woman who doesn't know what to do with her family and feels like no one cares?

The child who doesn't know how to witness to a lost friend?

The person who said no to God and doesn't know how to come back and say yes?

The woman who lost her child and feels like God has turned away?

The kid who wants to be loved?

The kid who wants to fit in?

The person who has a broken heart that you think will never be mended?

The person who thinks the whole world has betrayed them?


Who are you? Be honest with yourself...

Let me tell you something.

No matter who you are

No matter what you've done

No matter how hurt or how sad or how angry you've been

No matter how many friends you have

No matter how big your house is or if you have a house at all

No matter what job you have, Congressman or Garbage Man

No matter what makes you smile and what makes you cry

No matter what color hair you have, how tall you are, what color eyes you have, if you are outgoing, quiet, easily angered, overflowing with love and grace, no matter who your parents are and what life you live

No matter who you are


You are loved.


Please read that last sentence aloud.


You are loved so much.

You are beautiful

Wonderful

Worth it

Awesome

Loved.


You are worth dying for.

An interview with God

---

I dreamt I had an interview with God. "Come in," God said. "So, you would like to interview Me?"

"If you have the time," I said.

God smiled and said: "My time is eternity and is enough to do everything; what questions do you have in mind to ask me?"

"What surprises you most about mankind?"

God answered:

• "That they get bored of being children, are in a rush to grow up, and then long to be children again.
• That they lose their health to make money and then lose their money to restore their health.
• That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, such that they live neither for the present nor the future.
• That they live as if they will never die, and they die as if they had never lived…"

God’s hands took mine and we were silent for a while and then I asked…"As a parent, what are some of life’s lessons you want your children to learn?"

God replied with a smile:

• "To learn that they cannot make anyone love them. What they can do is to let themselves be loved.
• To learn that what is most valuable is not what they have in their lives, but who they have in their lives.
• To learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others. All will be judged individually on their own merits, not as a group on a comparison basis!
• To learn that a rich person is not the one who has the most, but is one who needs the least.
• To learn that it only takes a few seconds to open profound wounds in persons we love, and that it takes many years to heal them.
• To learn to forgive by practicing forgiveness.
• To learn that there are persons that love them dearly, but simply do not know how to express or show their feelings.
• To learn that money can buy everything but happiness.
• To learn that two people can look at the same thing and see it totally differently.
• To learn that a true friend is someone who knows everything about them…and likes them anyway.
• To learn that it is not always enough that they be forgiven by others, but that they have to forgive themselves."

I sat there for a while enjoying the moment. I thanked Him for his time and for all that He has done for me and my family, and He replied, "Anytime. I’m here 24 hours a day. All you have to do is ask for me, and I’ll answer."

People will forget what you said.
People will forget what you did,
but people will never forget
how you made them feel.

~ Source Unknown ~

Found on: http://www.appleseeds.org/interview_God.htm

The Wishes

Let's do a bit of imagining for a minute. Close your eyes. That's sure to make it hard to read this... how about this? Just make a picture in your mind with your eyes OPEN and read the screen at the same time. Deal? Or if you're really talented, read this with your eyes closed.

Here's the picture: a genie walks up to me. Backtrack... I don't think genies walk. I think they float or something after you rub their lamp. Start over. 

I rub a genie's magic lamp. This guy comes out...

Haha :) He asks me what three wishes I would like. I think for a minute, then reply "I don't think you'd be able to give them to me." 

He looks at me for a minute, then says "how bout you ask anyway? Ya never know!"

I sigh, and reluctantly say, "alright, here they are...

"I wish that every person who looks at me sees Jesus in my actions and my words.

"I wish that I can convey to them the immeasurable depth of my Savior's Love.

"I wish that I can learn to control my tongue, to keep sin from leaving my lips, and to really think about what I say.

"I wish that I can keep my thoughts on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy.

"I wish that I can always learn to be a servant, letting God work through my hands and my actions.

"I wish that I could stop sinning.

"I wish that my life would be a beacon of hope to the hopeless because they see Jesus.

"I wish that I could be a bubbling stream of joy and hope, and that my words would speak of Salvation to all that will listen. I wish that my optimism would bring happiness to those around me.

"The list goes on... I wish to be pure, loving, kind, peaceful, patient, good, gentle, faithful, and self-controlling. What do you say? Can you grant my wishes?"

The genie is speechless for a minute. Then he speaks, "I can only do three wishes per person... let's start there."

"Genie, no. I know you can't do them. I know you can't change my thoughts, words, and actions."

He looks disappointed, as though I actually might have believed that he could. Finally, his face lights up with an idea. 

"Hey Molly, here's the deal: I can't change your thoughts, actions, or words, you are the only one who can. But I know someone who can help! His name is God, and if you pray to Him and ask for help being the beautiful Christian He wants you to be, He will be there to support you and guide you!"

Open your eyes. That's the promise we all receive as Christians. That God will send His Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts and guide us and help us. Even when the road is tough and it's hard to discern right from wrong, His Spirit can help.

All you have to do is pray a prayer something like this:

God,

I know I'm a sinner. I know that I do wrong. I say things without thinking, and I do things that hurt people. 

Please be in my heart and help me to make the right choices. Help me to share your love and be a beacon of light and hope in a dark land. Help the words I say to be the RIGHT words, and help them show love and not anger or hard feelings. Help me to forgive easily and forget the wrong done to me.

God, I want to be more like you. You are holy, true, noble, pure, right, good, amazing, and praiseworthy, and I'm not anywhere near your holiness. Help me to learn your ways.

Please let your Holy Spirit live in me. I love you.

In Jesus' name, amen.

God bless, ~Molly