Ch. 764 - Delight. Delight. Delight.

I am His favorite.

Hephzibah.
"My delight is in her."

Well.
As usual... context aside, of course.



' "No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the Lord will take delight in you, and your land will be married." '
[Isaiah 62:4, NIV]

' "It will no longer be said to you, "Forsaken," Nor to your land will it any longer be said, "Desolate"; But you will be called, "My delight is in her," And your land, "Married"; For the LORD delights in you, And to Him your land will be married." '
[Isaiah 62:4, NASB]

Ch. 749 - Glory Leads to Praise

I am frustrated.

...

To fully worship God with all that we have... oh, the beauty... to not hold back, to be free. Such desire. For "the dwelling place of God - it is with man." We have access to Him. Why worship Him as He is far away, as if we have to wait for Him to come to us?


' "And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it." '
[Isaiah 40:5]

......

Click here to revisit Chapter 327.

Ch. 721 - Thoughts, Pt. Five

Strength.
Follow-through.
Edification.
[Encouragement.]

Prayer.
Worship, always.
Spontaneous praise.

Anoint, Lord God.
Wind.
Rain.
Fire.
Oil.

Isaiah 64:1

King of Glory.
Carpenter from Nazareth.
Lamb of God.
Lion of Judah.
Son of Man.
Of David.

He is alive.
His "story" is true.

Ch. 683 - Onward

"It's always darkest before dawn."

There is certainly more than a sliver of truth to this well-known saying. And I certainly have no problem believing that sometimes it takes us falling down to the lowest place possible before we realize how greatly we need Him.


'Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.'
[Isaiah 26:8]

Ch. 676 - A Yearning

'My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.'
[Isaiah 26:9]

There is a lot that could be said regarding this verse. For one thing, dichotomists and trichotomists could have a field day debating over the mentioning of both soul and spirit. But I'm not about to open that can of worms. I would much rather emphasize the use of yearning and longing for God. I think that ultimately, He is the desire of our heart of hearts. So naturally, we would long for Him constantly. And I think that is a beautiful realization.

Ch. 665 - Unclean Spirits

'... say to those with fearful hearts,
"Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
he will come to save you." '
[Isaiah 35:4]

Ch. 350 - I AM

' "I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me. I am the LORD, and there is no other." '
[Isaiah 45:5-6]

19. October 2010 Edit:

My God is... God.

Sovereign.
Mighty.
Big.
Loving.
Wonderful.

He is the only One.
The only true God.

Oh, the beauty of complex simplicity.

Ch. 239 - My Song

'In that day you will say: "I will praise you, O Lord. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me. Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation." '
[Isaiah 12:1-2]

11. September 2010 Edit:

My God is not angry with me. How many times have we heard, "Nothing you do will make God love you more or less."? A lot, most certainly. And it is true. God delights in me and loves me like no one ever could. He will never fail me, fading away into nothingness like something or someone of this finite world. If I have been born into Christ, alive in Him... and the Holy Spirit is truly within me... if I am living my life for God like I say I am... I needn't think twice that the Lord is my song. I sing of Him, for Him, in His Spirit... He provides the lyrics.

Ch. 214 - Man of Sorrows

'He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities, and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitted by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.'
[Isaiah 53:3-5]

26. August 2010 Edit:

Our Savior knows of everything that we could experience.
He knows joy.
He knows anger.
He knows frustration.
He knows love.
He knows opportunity.
He knows doubt.
He knows suffering.
Yet He knew no sin, dying for us.
And that is how we are able to know His Father.

Ch. 186 - Leaning on God

I can't keep missing people and experiences. I mean, it's alright to do so, I suppose. But when it's getting in the way of my walk with Christ, it's definitely not alright. Things simply aren't the same here as they were in Salt Lake, so I can't expect to grow in the ways I did when I was at the University of Utah. I just can't.

It's just that I miss talking.
Not talking to people.
Talking with people.
Having those true, deep talks.
Meaningful conversation.
I haven't done so since I've been here.

And to be honest, I haven't even talked with God all that much. I may have talked at Him, sure, but I haven't truly listened to Him. I don't give Him as much time as I should. As a result, I haven't felt very close to Him for the past few weeks... yes, even here at Bible college. Oh, sure, I've felt His presence. But that's different from feeling close to Him, in my opinion.

I was talking with my friend Anthony tonight about the whole issue. He reminded me that I need to fully rely on God. Lean on Him. I can turn to friends and family and whatever all I want, but nobody and nothing matters more than God. Just this past week a professor spoke in chapel about surrendering to God and how you need to consider everything but God as garbage. I know in the past I wrote about how Luke 14:26 says that your love for your parents and your life should look like hate in comparison to your love for God (see Ch. 84). This is just a reiteration of what I said then. I'm also going to go 'back to basics' with Isaiah 40:8, which says ' "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." '

I really need to dive into Scripture more. Man. I say that every day, but do I follow through with it? ...... Even if I was more adamant about reading, you can never read enough. As we were talking Anthony told me to read Romans 8. I've probably read Romans a handful of times, but for the life of me, I hadn't the faintest idea of what Romans 8 was about. So I read. Beautiful. It speaks of living life through the Spirit and not letting anything come between you and God. It was exactly what I needed. We spoke about how the enemy will do anything to get you away from God. Just now he told me, "Remember that doubt comes from the enemy, not yourself; don't let him deceive you." That really hit home for me, because right now I am full of doubt. It's a terrible feeling. 'Why am I here? What does He want? What am I supposed to do? Am I here because He truly wants me here, or is it just another step towards where I'm supposed to be? Maybe I haven't given everything over to God like I thought I had. So what now?'

We can think about what God's will for us is all we want. We can mull it over for hours on end and get basically nowhere. That's why we have to take life one day at a time. I know from experience that having a plan of your own doesn't work. You can have a general idea of how you want life to go, I think, but as soon as you have your life planned out to your dying day... that's when God will turn your life upside down. That's why we have to rely on God and trust in Him for everything. Anthony let me in on the fact that God told him that His true will for us is to spend time with Him and become close to Him - and when we do so, He will reveal His plan for us.

But first you need to lean on God for everything. That's where it all begins. If you aren't leaning on Him, you aren't going to be close enough to hear what He's saying. So how will you know where to go and what to do?


'You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.'
[Romans 8:9]

'Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?'
[Romans 8:35]

Ch. 162 - The Clock is Ticking

I haven't had a busy summer.
At all.
It's been really nice, I'm not going to lie.
But I can't wait to have a busy schedule again once I'm in school.
Classes.
Church.
Service projects.
Finding a semester ministry.
Hanging out.
It's all going to be there.
And I'm excited for it all.

However, what I'm most excited for is learning how to live a God-filled life. How to put Him into practice, you could say. You don't have to go to school to learn how. In fact, most people don't. But to have that extra background and such? A great opportunity, in my opinion. This summer hasn't been very God-filled on my part, and I've no one to blame but myself. I haven't been pursuing Him at all. I haven't been preparing for the upcoming year. I haven't tried to grow closer to Him. And I have definitely not felt quite right since I've come home. So I'm excited to be simply surrounded by believers again and really striving to know God better.

I kept saying to myself, "I need to set aside time for God." In reality, I had all the time in the world - and I knew I did! Terrible. I know that I may have to set personal time aside in the near future, but it's nice to know that things are sort of planned out for me in advance for general time with God.

This is going to be a great year.


' "I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols. See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you." '
[Isaiah 42:8-9]

......

Ch. 162, Part Two:

This week's memory verse:

'Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?'
[1 Corinthians 3:16]

Ch. 155 - Praise for Providence

'In that day you will say: "Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world." '
[Isaiah 12:4-5]

1. June 2010 Edit:

I think these verses state what we, as followers of Jesus Christ, should be striving to do continually. Give thanks. Call on Him. Make Him known, as well as what He has done. Proclaim for exclamation. Sing to Him... praise. All things can be done for God's glory. We need to let Him in, allowing Him to use us and work through us. Ask God to go before you, shining a light.

Ch. 125 - Always Preparing

Oh goodness. I can't wait for school to start.


'My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you.'
[Isaiah 26:9]

Ch. 90 - The Famous One

Even though I've heard "God has a plan for you!" many a time now, I still love when it clicks in my head and I get that shiver up and down my spine when I realize just how true it is. Decisions and plans that I like to think I make and alter and go through with... it's all God's doing. Not mine. Then there's the realization that every breath and step I take, every thought that goes through my head - God knows it all. I love that. It makes me feel safe. And overall I feel like there is no room for worry or doubt in my life, because I know the Big Guy has my back.


' "For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you." '
[Isaiah 41:13]

Ch. 88 - Your Helper

If you're ever going through a difficult time, turn to God. Chances are you won't have to turn too far, because He will be right there for you, with open arms and a willing ear. Which is a beautiful thought. If you feel lost and weak, cry out to Him. He will answer. Trust that God will give you comfort and strength, and He will. He will enable you to hurdle all adversity that has been placed in your way. He will care for you with the gentleness of a shepherd carrying his lambs. He will quench your thirst. He will guide you. And He will love you.

What more could you want from a God that is as big and small as our God is?

He can be anything to you. Make Him yours.
You won't be disappointed.

... And if you ever find that you are, maybe you should think it over. Because chances are, you're just putting the blame on someone else other than yourself. Even though those difficult times and the disappointment we feel are usually due to choices we make and the unfaithfulness that we indulge in.


'He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings likes eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.'
[Isaiah 40:29-31]

Ch. 82 - Forever

Our God is strong.

His Word is strong.

Faithful.
Enduring.
Wise.

Don't forget that.
Ever.


'The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.'
[Isaiah 40:8]

Ch. 57 - Trust God

I am so lonely.

That stupid tree thing is right.

I've felt like this for probably two weeks, too. It's not just me saying, "Hm. I thought I was kind of lonely - and since this says that I often am, I guess it's true." And it's not like I'm never around people or never do anything. I just feel alone. That's it.

I'm tired, too.

Tired of trying so hard.
Tired of feeling letdown.
Tired of feeling disliked.
Tired of being lectured.
Tired of feeling stupid.

I don't want to be in Utah.
I don't want to go on summer project.
I don't want to go to school.
I don't want to go to church.
I don't want to hang out with anyone.

I want to leave.
Travel the world.
I want to volunteer.
Work with my hands.
I want to speak عربي.
Learn from native speakers.

I want to disappear.

Not forever. Just for a bit.
Not to "find myself" - I'm not that cliché - but to do what I want.

My heart says, "Go."
I've had numerous conversations with people in regards to how what you feel you want, what your heart tells you, is God.

Is this so irrational?

I know you should honor God with your actions. Worship through living your life for Him without being afraid to give Him everything. Who says this couldn't be the greatest act of worship I could ever give Him? Disciples dropped everything for Jesus. Everything. They left their families. Their jobs. Their possessions. And for what reason? To follow Him. To learn. To love. To be loved. This is what I want and I feel, in turn, what He wants as well.


'... "Here am I. Send me!" '
[Isaiah 6:8]

Ch. 53 - My Jesus

'Have you ever thought about what Jesus looks like?
How does he act?
What is his attitude like?
How does he speak?
What does his voice sound like?'

These questions were presented to my Sunday school class a few years ago by our teachers, Gary and Larry (what a team).

We were told to simply close our eyes and picture Jesus in our minds. 'Have a conversation with him. Make mental notes of what you see, what you hear, what you, technically, come up with.'

The class shared with one another what they saw, speaking up if they felt like doing so.

There were some pretty interesting Jesuses out there.

There was a surf-bum Jesus.
A homeless Jesus.
A teenage Jesus.
A genie Jesus.
A zoologist Jesus.

These are among the most memorable Jesuses of the class.

As people started to share, I started to feel... uneasy. My Jesus wasn't as cool as everybody else's. We hadn't 'said' anything to each other. He didn't have anything really special about him. He was your stereotypical Jesus that you see in paintings and pictures - short beard, shoulder-length brown hair, semi-long robes wrapped around him. He was standing in front of me, arms outstretched. Yep, stereotypical down to the pose, even. But it was Jesus, and He was mine. There were two notable things, however, about the whole 'imagine your Jesus' experience.

One, my Jesus was wearing tennis shoes.
Two, what I kept focusing on in my mind were His hands.

I put tennis shoes on my Jesus because I figured it'd be easier for Him to get around than when wearing sandals. I mean, it's Jesus - He's got things to do... places to go, people to see, sermons to preach, and parables to explain. I also like the idea of running with Jesus. I think He'd make the best workout partner in the world.

The reason I mentioned Jesus' hands is because for the longest time, I've always thought about them. I couldn't tell you why. Whenever I see pictures of Jesus my eyes go straight to the hands. More often than not they are beautiful. They look soft and smooth, very gentle. But my Jesus' hands are not. They are rough and worn, strong and scarred. He was, after all, a carpenter before He began His ministry. Think about everything He did with those hands. He smeared mud on blind men's eyes, so that they could see. He touched the leper and made him clean again. He wrote in the dust and dirt. He broke bread and gave it to His disciples. His hands were nailed to the cross as part of paying for our sins; later they were shown to Thomas as proof that He did what He said he would do, pushing aside all doubt.

In my mind, my Jesus' hands are more beautiful than the 'perfect' hands of portrait Jesuses.

The reason I wrote this post was because today I let my Bible fall open and it came to Isaiah; the first chapter I saw was 53, so that's where I started my reading. I would like to share the chapter with you. It's a long one, but it's really very lovely.

'Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the
Lord been revealed?
He grew up before him like a tender
shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract
us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we
should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with
suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their
faces
he was despised, and we esteemed
him not.

Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our
transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities,
then punishment that brought us peace
was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers
is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was
taken away.
And who can speak of his
descendants?
For he was cut off from the land of the
living;
for the transgression of my people
he was stricken.
He was assigned a grave with the
wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him
and cause him to suffer,
and though the Lord makes his life
a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong
his days,
and the will of the Lord will prosper
in his hand.
After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life, and be
satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous
servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will give him a portion
among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the
strong,
because he poured out his life unto
death,
and was numbered with the
transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the
transgressors.'
[Isaiah 53]


'He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.'
[Isaiah 53:2b]

The prophet Isaiah noted that there was nothing physically attractive about Jesus. Yet people flocked to him in droves, following him and telling others about him. This wonderful man, this Messiah - come to save the nations - was one of the most interesting, mystifying, loving men the world has ever known. What do you expect with the Son of God, though, right? I think his love for everybody is what attracted most people, whether they realized that is up in the air.

To this very day, Jesus' love for me is what holds me together. It keeps me coming back for more. And every day I learn something new about my Jesus.

Ch. 47 - OT vs NT

Our God is good.
Our God is gracious.
Our God is righteous.
Our God is merciful.

In the Old Testament of the Bible punishment for sin is a major theme.

We see the wrath of our God.

But in the New Testament of the Bible forgiveness of sin is a major theme.

We see the love of our God.

It's just interesting to see how the nature of God does not change over time, although His mind can change.


' "I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless." '
[Isaiah 13:11]

'If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.'
[1 John 1:9]

Ch. 31 - 'Go and Tell'

Send me.

I'll go.

I don't know what to say. As much as I do want to just... go... I don't think I'm ready. But I want to. And that has to count for something.

Soon.


'Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" '
[Isaiah 6:8]