Ch. 701 - People are Good

'Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." '
[Matthew 26:36-38]

Jesus brought Peter, James, and John with Him to the garden at Gethsemane, and on their way Jesus began to be grieved and distressed. I believe this verse shows the humanity of Jesus, and also teaches us how to live in one aspect. Even though Jesus knew He was going to die in obedience for our salvation, He was at a vulnerable, weak moment in His life. Jesus’ bringing His three closest disciples reveals that we were created as relational beings. I sense a feeling of dependency on these three during this moment in Jesus’ life; I believe that we should realize we can turn to our brothers and sisters in Christ for help and support, in addition to turning to God.

Note to self: There are so many good people in this world.
Not everyone I come to face is "evil" or careless.
I should not be so terribly critical.
I simply distance myself in doing so and that is not a good thing.

Ch. 700 - Zeal

'Do not let your heart envy sinners,
but always be zealous for the fear of
the Lord.'
[Proverb 23:17]

How often do we think about our fear - or lack thereof - of God?
Just a thought.

Ch. 699 - Anchor For the Soul

'We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.'
[Hebrews 6:19-20]

Unlike high priests of the past, who could only enter God’s presence occasionally, Jesus entered into heaven and is continually in His presence. Jesus only had to offer His sacrifice once, gaining eternal redemption for all who come to God through Him. His sacrifice and selection as High Priest has displaced all ways of the Law. Jesus is now the intercessor for God’s people, for His blood has covered their sins. Praise and thankfulness is due to this great High Priest. Oh, how blessed I am!

Ch. 698 - To Glory in Christ

'...for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh...'
[Philippians 3:3, NASB]

Glory [verb] - to rejoice proudly.
I appreciate this.
Greatly.

Ch. 697 - Shame

I tend to withdraw from people whom I feel I have wronged in any way. If I begin to feel humiliated or ashamed by my words or actions towards someone, I do not desire to spend time with them, even if they don't realize how I feel... if they think nothing of it... or if they immediately say something along the lines of, "Hey it's okay... No big deal. I forgive you!"

It's even worse when I feel ashamed because of my words or actions toward my Lord God... what a terrible feeling. Yet He is even quicker to say, "I forgive you!" than those around me. He loves me so greatly. And letting myself feel ashamed only distances me from God and that love. Guilt and shame are destructive. Feeling loved and worthy of Him builds me up and encourages me to deepen my relationship with Him.

God is so good.


' "Even now," declares the Lord, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning." Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.'
[Joel 2:12-13]

Again, context... see what Bible college does to you?
Whatever. I'm over it.

Ch. 696 - Bread

'Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." '
[John 6:35]

I think if Jesus were a type of bread, He would be WonderBread.
Wheat bread, though... none of that white bread crap.
... Stupid white-Jesus paintings...

Ch. 695 - What do I experience?

' "The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil." '
[John 7:7, NASB]

'A true born-again believer who is living a life for God's glory should experience the hatred and antagonism of the world.'
- John MacArthur

Ch. 694 - Chosen

He makes all things new.
He keeps all of His promises.

This is the God that gave me life.

He has given me purpose.
He has great plans for me.

I can only imagine what He will have me do for Him in the future.


' "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name." '
[John 15:16]

Ch. 693 - Things Above

Understanding displaces prejudice.

Fear.

We need to abandon preconceived notions if we truly desire to reach out to [all] God's children. Letting ourselves rest in our false thoughts does much harm. I think that often, we don't even create the thoughts ourselves. Rather they are created by others and placed in our minds through various mediums.

It's time to take control.

Cleanse.


'For God does not show favoritism.'
[Romans 2:11]

Mehhh, context...

But seriously. God doesn't, neither should we. We should accept others in an incredibly just manner. Equality.

Ch. 692 - I ain't broke.

"If it ain't broke... don't fix it."

But what if 'it' is broke?
Then what?

I mean, who does the fixing?
What tools are needed?
How long will it take?
Will it cost a lot?
What changes will occur?
What will remain the same?

Legitimate questions.
But do they matter?

As long as 'it' can be fixed, and continue once again to be used for the purpose it was created for, then the recreation or restoration process should be the least of worries... right?

I'm not so sure about that.


' "Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses." '
[1 Kings 8:56]

Oh yeah. Breaking out the OT. Read through some of 1 Kings today... this jumped out at me. Three cheers.

Ch. 691 - Capacity

Before class this morning I began my day by praying in the gym.

Lord God.

Chapel.
People.
Hearts.
Change.

Jesus Christ.

Peace.
Fruit.
Power.

Holy Spirit.

Hope.
Time.

The Church.

Joy.

Me.

My mind was racing, my heart was pounding.

Even though I felt as if a million and one thoughts were running through my mind, I felt as if they all centered around a single theme: love.

My love for God.
My love for others.
God's love for me.
God's love for others.
The body's love for God.
The body's love for others.
And so it goes on...

I've come to realize that sometimes, throughout the day, all I pray for is love.
More love.

What I really desire is for us to love God more.

'Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment."
[Matthew 22:37-38]

How often are we asked, "Do you truly obey the greatest commandment?"

Or how often do we hear, "You know... it all comes down to love. That's what it's all about!"

So this morning, as I'm praying and "love" recycles itself through my thoughts, I hear the following line from the song All Consuming Fire by Misty Edwards:

'Let us fall more in love with You.'

Oh, the joys of putting the iPod on shuffle: what a pleasant surprise...

When I heard that line, I just stopped.
I was overcome with the weight of the Presence.
I doubled over.
['Whoa.']

Unexpected.
But welcomed.

That's a heaviness on your heart that you should never want lifted.

No restraint.
Freedom in the Spirit.
All out of love, and the desire of love for God from others.

Desires from within that I'm not even fully aware of, made known to God.

Is that truly such a terrible thing?
[What are people so afraid of?]

God is listening.
"It's not time.
... They're not ready."
But He is listening.

Before all else, we need to increase our capacity to love.

Devotion.
Adoration.

Ask for more.
Love God.

Acceptance of self.
Love of self.

Ask for more.
Love God.

Acceptance of others.
Love of others.

Ask for more.
Love God.
Ask for more.

Ch. 690 - Voice Through Words

The following is part of a "Weekly Wisdom" from a daily Bible verse site. It's pretty redundant... but it's good in that it gets a fantastic point across.

'John 8:31-32 says, 'To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."'

If we hold to His teaching, meaning live in it, abide in it, and follow it, then we will know the truth. That's exactly the way hearing from God works. When we abide in his word, we will know his voice, which is truth.

All of scripture is God talking to His people. Thus, in order to hear from God, you must know scripture. God has given us scripture, and He calls it His word. It is the word of God. So how do you know God's talking to you? It is His word that He talks through.'

Ch. 689 - Nourishment

Sometimes I find myself overcome with anxious thoughts about the fact that it seems like we simply do not get it. What's more, sometimes it seems like we simply cannot get it - and we never will.

Pray for hope.


'Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.'
[Proverbs 3:7-8]

Ch. 688 - Transition Preparation

It's getting to be that time of year again...
School's out in less than a month.
[Twelve days of class. Three days of finals.]

I'm stoked.
I can't wait for summer break.
At the same time, part of me wants to just stay in school without long breaks so that I can be finished earlier. Oh well.

Anyway, these next four weeks are going to be the most difficult weeks of the whole school year. I must focus. Want to know the crazy part? I'm not even talking about focusing in regards to academics. Awesome, huh? That's right, I'm talking about focusing on something even more important: Jesuuuuuus. This is a very critical time. If you're not staying on the path in your walk with God before summer... well... it's just not good. Even here at Bible college... "surrounded" by fellow believers, a community - it can be difficult to be strong in your walk. Spending time with God is a total necessity, yet it gets blown off day after day.

Pray.
Read.
Reflect.
Meditate.
Journal.
Service.

Holiness.

I don't care if it's required or not. If you're not doing these things now, with accountability and support from brothers and sisters in Christ all around you, it could possibly be darn hard to do these things when at home... where you may have few to zero family members or friends who are believers. So really, we need to not only be working hard up until the last day of school academically, but also in the strengthening of our obedience, discipline, etc. We really should have a 'now or never' mindset, in my opinion, continually.

God may not need us, but man oh man do we need Him.


'As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do...'
[1 Peter 1:14-15]

Ch. 687 - Highest Praise

'To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy - to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.'
[Jude 24-25]

Oh, to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Oh, the goodness and grace of God the Father.

Thankfulness abounds.

Ch. 686 - I refuse.

I am so glad that I am in Bible college right now...


'I do not sit with deceitful men,
nor do I consort with hypocrites;
I abhor the assembly of evildoers
and refuse to sit with the wicked.
I wash my hands in innocence,
and go about your altar, O Lord,
proclaiming aloud your praise
and telling of all your wonderful deeds.'
[Psalm 26:4-7]

Ch. 685 - Picturesque

I spent some time at a park today. I was simply enjoying the beautiful weather and catching up on some reading for a class. At one point I heard a vehicle pull into the parking lot. I kept reading, but the sound of laughter soon filled the small park and I looked up to see a woman and two children. The woman was carrying a blanket and a small cooler. She and one of the children, a girl about four of five years old, spread out the blanket in the shade of a large tree. The other child, a boy about two years old, walked away from them and explored the playground area. He started to run towards a small, open field, looking over his shoulder now and then to the woman, whom I was watching. I noticed that even though she was talking with the girl and starting to take food and drinks out of the cooler, she periodically glanced over to the field where the boy was now running in constant circles. But suddenly he stopped, and without having to be chased down or called over, he dawdled over to the blanket where the woman and girl were sitting. The woman opened her arms and he ran the rest of the way, nestling - forcefully, I might add, as a result of the momentum - into her arms. And as they began to eat their picnic lunch, I resumed my reading with a smile on my face.

I was really thankful to have witnessed this casual occurrence.
I mean, it was simply a picnic in the park.

But I felt like God was reminding that even though I go "off on my own" now and then, or even run away from where I seemingly should be, I cannot truly run away from God. He is ever-watchful. There is no hiding from Him. And because He certainly does have a hand on my life, I will always return to Him eventually.

Because He provides for me.
Because He protects me.
Because He encourages me.
Because He guides me.
Because He loves me.

He welcomes me with open arms.


'But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love...'
[Psalm 33:18]

Ch. 684 - Transparency

Two weeks.

Two weeks of "silence".
Two weeks of thinking.
Letting my mind wander, really.
Two weeks of time to myself.
Two weeks of... well... Godlessness.

And I'm okay with that.
Should I be?
Probably not.

......
I am tired.
......

Needless to say, it's time to turn back around.
God is waiting for me.


' "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." '
[Matthew 11:28-30]

......

Ch. 684, Part Two:

This is incredibly hard for me, but...
Help. Please.
Just... pray.
Or if you're at Central, help me break down my walls.
If you think I'm intimidating, try to get past that.
Find me.
Come chat.
Man. Something.
Anything.
Please. Help.