What am I doing with my life?

What am I doing with my life? 

Sometimes I ask myself this question...

What SHOULD I be doing with my life?

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. (Titus 2:11-14 NASB)

God chose us & desires for us to be "zealous"... the NIV translates it "eager." 

I don't know about you but I want to be eager to do what is good! 

But stop....wanting something and actually acting on that desire are two different things. I know this from personal experience...recently...like today kind of recent.

Sometimes I'm lazy... Days like today are proof of that. Sure I did some productive things, I took my dad to work,did some shopping & a little bit of packing....but what about the other 8 or 9 hours of my day? I wasted them and I can't get them back. 

I waited until I was at the ultimate boredom before I thought " oh hey I should do my quiet time and spend time with God" why!?!? 

To be zealous is to be eagerly desirous of something, it is a hunger...we should be eager for growth in our relationship with God. 

Are you?

 I would say that I am...but do my actions show it? 

I could post a picture a day of my devotions and fool everyone on Facebook & Instagram but God knows my heart and He knows my desires & motivations. 

It's so easy to live the "picture perfect" life on Instagram but what's going on in our real life?

Our life has purpose, our purpose is to glorify Him and God wants to purify us for that purpose. 

I was living for myself today. 

I wasn't living with purpose. 

Living for myself leaves me empty...its not worth it.

It becomes depressing after just one day so what what would a lifetime of living for myself feel like?

I don't plan to find out.  

This verse brings everything important back into perspective:

Don't live for yourself, live for Him. 

Jesus Loves You....what does that really mean?

My Pastor has been doing a series on "How to Change" during the Wednesday night prayer meeting and it has taught me so much! He went over several false ideas of change, one of these ideas is that if we just remember that Jesus loves us, that will fix everything.  

"Jesus loves you!" a phrase we often say when we don't know what to say...I know I've used it when I've been at a loss for words as I talk to a friend that's struggling...but are those really the words we should use to comfort? 

The motivation for using those words is usually to try to make someone feel better, to make them feel loved or important... but is that really what they need? 


Well obviously Jesus does love us...so what's the problem? The problem is that when we say this phrase, its focused on US, not Jesus.

 "Jesus loves you and therefore you're important."

When we take a look at what the Bible says...we find quite a different view. 

"You see, at just the right time when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:6-8
 
So what do you see from that? These verses are focused on how Christ shows his love for SINNERS. That's us...

One thing my Pastor said that really stuck out was 
 "The Gospel has nothing good to say about us."
 
So next time you use the phrase "Jesus loves you." make sure you bring it back to focus on the fact that Jesus chose to love us when we were unlovable. It's not about us...it's about Him!
 

Mexico Newsletter #1!

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The Same.

I don't even know how to describe it...the same. Those are the words that come to my mind when I think about God...He is the same...He never changes. I am a human...I am always changing, everything in my life is changing...but I have a rock. A rock that never moves...God. He is my foundation...the one constant in my life. 

I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer, my God is my rock in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:1-2

If that isn't comforting to know...I don't know what is. Who is God to you? Is He your strength, your rock, your deliverer, your shield, your salvation and your stronghold?..........Or is it something else? Is somebody else your strength? Is somebody else your rock? 

I've been learning a lot about idols this past year...no not stone statues that people bow down to...but idols...things that we worship...things that we love...anything we put before God. During my second year at the Bible Institute we read a book called "Gospel Treason: Betraying the Gospel with Hidden Idols" and I have to say...READ IT. This book totally opened my eyes to how prevalent idolatry can be in our lives and how much it hurts us in our growth in our relationship with God. 

I heard the song "Crown Him(Majesty)" sung the other night and the chorus almost brings me to tears every time I hear it...

Majesty.

Lord of All.

Let every throne, before Him fall.

The King of Kings,

O come adore,

Our God who reigns forevermore. 

The part in bold talks about thrones....A throne is where a very important person sits....what "thrones" are there in my life that need to "fall"? All of the thrones and Kings of this world will one day fall before HIM. The King of Kings...that is so crazy and overwhelming and amazing to think about...we have a personal relationship with the Lord of all the earth....I want my life to adore Him...I don't want to just sing about how He is the Lord of all...I want to LIVE like He is the Lord of all. 

I don't know about you...but sometimes my life doesn't always go the way I plan it....but when I think about the rest of my life, and then about eternity...how do my problems compare to the big picture? Everything pales in comparison to the absolute incredible nature of God and His plan not only for me, but for the world. 

So yes...sometimes we have bad days...but don't let those days turn into weeks and years...the hard times will come...but you have a ROCK...a God who will never fail even if people or circumstances do....
Run to Him...and Live for Him.

Mexico

If there is one thing I have learned in the past several years of my life it is that His plans are way better than mine.

 I never really believed people when they said things about how God took their plans and changed them into something better...but ITS TRUE. 

God really does take our plans and desires and changes and molds them into something better, at least that is what he's done with mine. 

I want to tell you about just one of the instances in the past year that this has been true.

End of 2012 and the beginning of 2013 I decided on a plan for the fall of 2013. I was going to go to Word of Life Argentina. It seemed like an awesome opportunity, didn't cost that much and I would come back after a year being fluent in Spanish. But...that obviously is not where I am. And you know what? I'm glad. I ended up coming to New York and this year has been amazing. God has taught me so much while being here at 2nd year and I definitely needed to be here. 

This year is almost over and from here...i have to go somewhere. I've been thinking and praying alot the past couple months and there have been several options I have been seriously looking at. A couple weeks ago I started looking into a cross cultural internship with Word of Life and last week I got the exciting news....I'M GOING TO MEXICO. For two years. I will have the opportunity to serve in Mexico...and do you know what happens when you live in a foreign country for two years? You learn their language. I'm so excited to continue to see where God takes me. I know He will continue to tweak and change "my" plans, but I know that no matter what...His plans will always be better. 

The heart of man plans his way,
    but the Lord establishes his steps.

Proverbs 16:9

October 31, 2013

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 2 Peter 1:3-4

Jesus always had time for others

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the rock eternal. Isaiah 26:3-4

Don't say you're ready to die for Jesus until you're ready to live for Him.

Yet, you, Lord are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter we are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13

October 27, 2013

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Romans 12:12

Jesus doesn't just come first...Jesus should be at the center of everything I do.

I made known to them your name and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them and I in them. John 17:26

My life is not determined by what I want, the goal I set or the dreams I have but by the choices I make.

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lords glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18