Falling Behind...Sorry

I realize I have neglected this blog this summer.  I actually had many, many thoughts to share this year but I never knew how to write about them.  I want to share about my year when I get a chance soon, but I want to take this short time to tell you about a website to check out.

I am currently a summer nanny in Texas and we have a summer website that we would like to share with you.  We update it almost every day.  Maybe it's boring to you, but maybe you can find some joy in it.  We just try to have fun and enjoy life and thought it would be cool to share something positive with others.

The website is:  oursummersite.weebly.com

An Easter Thought.

Yesterday I was reading a book I have that is essentially a compacted time line of the Bible.  I was reading about Adam and Eve being expelled from the Garden of Eden.  After their expulsion, they were unable to speak directly with God, therefore, they built stone altars and they burned gifts to the Lord.  They did this as a way of praying for forgiveness of their sins.

Isn't that incredible.  As I was reading this, I felt an overwhelming fear for the people who lived before Jesus Christ came to walk on the Earth.  Due to the choice Adam and Eve made, to disobey God, humanity was and is in a fallen state.  They then had no direct communication with God.  In order to have a relationship with God in all His glory, they needed to rid themselves of their sins.  But can't you see?  That was an impossible task!  They made these altars and sacrifices and burnt offerings.  They thought they had to attempt earning their way to God.  How terrifying that life must have been. [We know they were saved the same way we are saved. Through Jesus. Only difference is, they hadn't seen Him come to earth yet. Though Adam and Eve could never have done anything to make atonement for their sins on their own efforts, they did not know that. And that is an overwhelming fear that I am glad I do not bear.]

Today is Easter.  I am so thankful for God's grace today.  The grace of living in a time where Jesus has come, died, and RISEN so that I can have direct communication with GOD at all times.  So that I can have peace, hope, love, joy, and security.  I am thankful for Jesus.  God is good.  How could we ever doubt the goodness of God.  Nothing we ever go through will be too difficult.  There is nothing that can happen to you or me that will take away the TRUTH that our debt has been PAID IN FULL on the cross at Calvary!

Rejoice in Jesus today.  Rest in the truth of the Gospel.  Have peace.  Have joy.  Give love.  For we have been rescued from a pit of darkness and will never have to return.  Do you believe the best is yet to come?

The Holy Spirit vs Sinful Nature

This morning I was thinking about sinful nature.  Just how powerful it can be.  How can its power stand against the power of  the Holy Spirit?  Surly it cannot.  But so often the sinful nature wins control over our lives.  How can this be?  There must be another factor involved in the battle.  Free will perhaps?

We are given a choice when temptation presents itself.  Ask the Holy Spirit to fight for us or allow our flesh to have claim over us.  How is it that a heart fully in love with God and fully aware with wisdom and discernment can choose to allow the sinful nature to have authority in his or her life?

When we sin, we recognize that we have a sinful nature about us.  But is that an excuse?  After all, the Bible says that "no one can serve two masters."  Well, I don't think so.  And if I don't think so, then I'm condemned to death.  This is why the Good News is so good.  We don't typically make the best decisions when it comes to choosing between sin and righteousness; therefore, God condemned Jesus to death in order to settle ALL the debts we have accumulated from failing to choose righteousness over sin.

Romans 8:9-10

"You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.  And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.  But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness."

But back to where the decision takes place.  I think we so often choose sin over righteousness, not because the sinful nature is stronger than the Holy Spirit, but because we are the ones given the choice between the two.  We are too weak to make the better decision.  We are people who were naturally born with a sinful nature.  It took death on a cross for us to receive the Holy Spirit.  It isn't an easy battle for our less-than holy minds.  In Matthew 26, Jesus tells His disciples to pray so that they won't fall into temptation.  He says "The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Since our flesh is weak, I think it's wise for us to slow down in our decision making.  Because when we slow down, we allow ourselves time to weight the options.  And when it comes down to God's wrath versus God's kingdom, I think we will all be screaming and begging for the Holy Spirit to take authority in our hearts and minds.  Galatians 5 is the best guide for how living by the Spirit should look for us.

Galatians 5:16-26

"So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.  They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.  The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the life.  I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.  Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other."

Let's practice living life by the Spirit.

[Sweet little Rodney isn't doing well.  Pray that he recovers and can be with us for years to come.]

Eternity.

So this is totally just a storm in my brain. So forgive my scattered thoughts.

I have been at constant battle with myself over making wise decisions concerning my future.  That is a lengthy story in itself, but that’s not what inspires me today.

As a child I believed in God. And I knew He loved me and I knew I loved Him back. But it wasn’t until I was in 7^th grade that the Lord opened my eyes and revealed Himself to me.  The thing about that though is this: I was terrified into my salvation.  Obviously, at such a young age I didn’t understand the concept of grace and undeserving love.  However, I had an understanding of eternity.  If a person can find a way to believe in eternity, they will find a way to Jesus.  Because let’s be honest…it’s terrifying.  It’s terrifying as an adult to wonder where you’ll spend eternity, but as a twelve year old?

Every night I begged Jesus to come into my heart and forgive me for being a sinner.  I was twelve and I didn’t understand.  I heard that He would “come like a thief in the night”.  To me that meant that on any given night my family and I would be murdered by huge Roman men in armor with swords and knives (I don't know why they had to be Roman. That's just what I imagined).  And to top it off, there would be fire everywhere.

At age twelve I thought Jesus was coming back really soon.  And it felt urgent.  Even though my choices were driven by fear at that time, I still understood the urgency.  Today I think about what matters and I can’t help but go back to that young innocent mind. 

So easily we get sucked into this world.  Maybe not you, but I know I allow myself to get sucked in.  Even as I type this, there is a war going on in my mind.  It’s the ever-so-familiar battle between practicality and faith.  It’s a war that hurts the soul because it forces you to choose between trusting the world and trusting God.  This is what happens: I start to believe lies and begin to settle for what the world has to offer, because that’s much easier to do.  My world-taught survival instincts take control of my mind and I totally forget that my God is sovereign and can move mountains if necessary.

Going back to my views as a child; Jesus will return someday.  There is an urgency that comes with that truth.  It does have to do with salvation.  Maybe not my own this time.  It's written that the Gospel of Jesus will reach every nation and tribe before His return.  Some, like me, may have silly thoughts of “Why then are missionaries trying to reach the unreachable? Surly they aren’t ready for Jesus to come back yet.” But that is what Jesus commands His disciples to do, yeah?  Take the Gospel to the world.  Why would He want us to put urgency on things that He said will lead to His return?

It’s because He wants us with Him!  He's preparing our real home.  WE DO NOT AND NEVER WILL BELONG HERE.  Life in this world will always be uncomfortable (this is simple to believe when you’re a new college graduate).  But somehow, we manage to settle and make this life feel comfortable.  We are royalty, but we’ve accepted lives of displacement.  We have an inheritance and it is in Heaven with our creator and our Savior.

So I'm just thinking, if we were to really live in light of eternity, do you think our short lives on earth would be better spent?  Do you think it might be less tempting to conform to the pattern of this world.  Today, I really believe so.

~Happy 80^th birthday Grandpa!