one thing is necessary

"Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered by so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her."

Luke 10:41-42

weight of glory

Glory means weight in the literal Hebrew. Many Christians today are into what we would call "Christian lite," like a "lite" beer. "Give me a little Jesus, just enough to make me happy." God thunders into our lives in his flesh and says that we behold in him the glory of God, full of grace and truth.

Joseph R. Ryan

The other day, an occupational therapist who works in the NICU at a hospital came to give us a lecture. We learned some technical things, but until I review my notes, what I remembered the most were the stories the OT shared of parents and their babies. I don't know what it's like firsthand to have a preemie baby, but it sounds stressful and daunting. The parents aren't able to hold the baby and cannot take the baby home until later if the child survives. At the end of the lecture, the OT showed us a few pictures of preemie babies. She then showed us pictures of them, one who turned four, another who graduated college. Seeing those pictures of the babies made me see how precious even one tiny life is. That fragile body is a life even if he can be held only in the palm of a hand.
Here's something I find interesting - mothers can go to jail if they take drugs while pregnant, but aborting the baby is acceptable for the sake of the mother's choice. This post wasn't to prove a point on abortion, but it consequently came to my mind when it is such a wonder how preemie babies are able to live life despite health issues. Just some thoughts.

spend and be spent

I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less?2 Corinthians 12:15

I remember someone's prayer request was that she would spend and be spent. In my mind I was wondering what in the world does that meant? It's not something you hear every day. Uh oh I have to pray out loud in the group for this person. But I was 'bold' enough to ask what it meant. I don't remember their explanation, but that phrase, "spend and be spent" has reminded me of how life should be lived. I don't think I'm a very generous person. But of course I am occasionally as it's easier to give out of abundance, but to give out of poverty? I'm not sure then. I can think of being hospitable, giving up time, diligently praying. "Be spent" to me just sounds like to be exhausted.

To really give of the self for souls to know God and the gospel is what this verse means... and doing it most gladly. 

Children are curious little beings and think more than we think they do.

At KFC (Kids for Christ), we were going over asking God for forgiveness. We did a little skit where at the end someone prayed to God for forgiveness.
After the skit, one boy asked, "Why do we pray to God?" He was asking not just why do we pray, but why to God.

Then a little after, I gave the record book illustration. I asked the kids what sins we do and wrote them on a piece of paper, taped on top of a drawing of a stick-figure. Then on another sheet of paper I wrote things that Jesus does/is (i.e. good, perfect) and taped it above a drawing of a stick-figure Jesus. When I switched the papers, the kids were astonished asking, "but whyyy?" And exactly our point - why would God do such a thing for us? How could God see us righteous when we are actually sinful? How could He punish Christ for what we did? And how could we receive the blessings of His life? I hope they continue to grow in awe of Him.

re-minder

re-post

For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died

2 Corinthians 5:14

Preciousness

The preciousness of gold.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/01/gold.html

I don't know too much about gold, but this is pretty cool!

This weekend I learned in a very succinct manner the canon of scripture from our speaker Dr. Daniel Wallace. Even though salvation is not evidence-based or if I never learned the cannon of scripture, I would still be able to grow, learning how the Bible has been preserved is to me, a sign of the power of God. I knew that there were more manuscripts of the Bible than other books or writings, but I didn't know the extent of it. I'm not someone who knows history well or how valuable historical writings are, but even with my limited knowledge, I can tell that there is a profound amount of proof that the Bible we have today, at least the Greek we are translating from is very close to the original writings of the apostles.
The manuscripts that have been found are such treasures. Dr. Wallace showed us pictures of some that were written with gold! How precious the Word must have been to that scribe.
I wish I could be more articulate in the implications of this. The Bible is so powerful. God wants it to be preserved. He wants His message to be made known. The Bible I think is the best preserved historical document. But it isn't just that, it is so precious. I wish I could love it as much as this psalmist did.

The law of Your mouth is better to me
Than thousands of gold and silver pieces.Psalm 119:72

Sadly, I often don't see it this way. How much quicker I take in what my textbooks say or curiosity in people's lives via facebook or just anything as oppose to how I take in what the Word of God says. Just as I would hug something precious if I lost it for a moment, I wish to cling to His word, His truth.

reunion

"When I think of people leaving, I'm constantly reminded of, 'The joy of being together is worth the pain of separation.'... but I also think of how much more sweeter and more joyful our reunion with the Lord will be when Christ returns."

yes

why do i do what i do?

This question pretty much summed up this past year. (I still think in terms of school calendar) Through the grad school application process, I asked that question often... sometimes even asking, "what am I going to do with my lifeee??" I think that's a frequent question asked by many college grads. That's when I saw how I defined myself based on what I did. I found my worth in being a student or a career I would have, rather than my identity in Christ. That shouldn't have been surprising since I spent so much time in school, preparing for some sort of career. And that's when the connection was made back to my motivation as a student in college. Maybe it was mainly for myself...?
Now that I am back in school, I've asked this question less frequently. It's easy to just go with the flow and not see how God fits in. And that's still the wrong perspective because God doesn't "fit in" my life, that's still super man-centered. It should be more like where's my place in God's kingdom? Do I live out the gospel, as if Christ is my king? Even getting into grad school wasn't satisfying as I thought it would be. That proves to me more to not be so silly in thinking something or someone will satisfy me, or that life will really begin when I get what I want. Eternal life is now because I can know God now, the satisfier of my soul.
...What do you think about job satisfaction? That seems like the driving factor for career choices. Maybe some people will have different opinions on that. It makes sense to do what you like... but that still isn't what it's all about, right? It's just a means to God's glory, not an ends.

Just Do Something had some helpful points while I was semi-agonizing why things were not clear to me. We don't need to know the future, but to trust and obey God. The author said we are cowards in taking risks and we don't trust God. I think if we are worried about pleasing God, then we should be concerned about obeying His word first- loving, delighting, making disciples, giving, being patient, forgiving, repenting, using what God's entrusted to us - then there isn't even time to worry about the other issues.

Just a couple quotes from the book:
"In talking with my grandpa about his life, I asked whether he wrestled with God's will or remembered waiting for a sense of direction before taking so much initiative in life as a young man. "No," he said. "I felt like God was waiting for me to get involved." I wonder how many of us are just the opposite- waiting for God to tell us what to do rather than assuming He's waiting for us to go out and be obedient" (116)
"Wisdom is the difference between knowing a world-class biologist who can write your papers for you and studying under a world-class biologist so that you can write the kind of papers he would write. Too many of us want God to be the world-class scholar who will write our papers and live our lives for us. When God wants us to sit at His feet and read His Word so that we can live a life in the image of His Son. God doesn't tell us the future for this simple yet profound reason: We become what we behold." (94)


why do you do what you do?

(btw if you haven't noticed already in my posts or emails, I tend to jump from one thought to another , so fill in your own "transition sentences" and such =P)

Alaska

I haven't posted pictures in awhile. Here are some of my favorites from my Alaska trip, although definitely does not sum up the trip.

Anchorage

Alaska have huge marshmallows

This pup will grow up to be an Iditarod dog

On the way from Anchorage to Seward

Don't remember what this was...

On the cruise now leaving Seward

Glacier Bay

Skagway

Leaving Alaska and on the way to Vancouver

I hope to pray like this:

Almighty God,

I am loved with everlasting love,

  clothed in eternal righteousness,

     my peace flowing like a river,

     my comforts many and large,

     my joy and triumph unutterable,

     my soul lively with a knowledge of salvation,

     my sense of justification unclouded.

I have scarce anything to pray for;

Jesus smiles upon my soul as a ray of heaven

  and my supplications are swallowed up in praise...

Valley of Vision

We don't wait to live. We have to keep living while we're waiting.

A Lifetime of Wisdom by Joni Eareckson Tada 

victory in Christ

50 Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. 55 O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 15

"I am thirsty"

When Jesus says, "I am thirsty," I don't think he means physical thirst, because in the whole passion account we never once hear Jesus complaining about any of the physical torture and agony into which he is placed. He is blindfolded and beaten with the fists of soldiers. He is scourged with a whip made with bits of metal and glass fragments tied into straps that are laid repeatedly across his back. There is a crown of thorns meanly pressed into his brow until he bleeds. Never once does he complain. Never once does he say, "It hurts." So when he says, "I am thirsty," he is saying, " I am thirsty with a thirst that every sinner deserves to experience forever." He means that he is going to hell, that he is now like the rich man in hell, with no one to bring him water." (Luke 16) ...

Psalm 22 begins this way: "My God, my God why hast Thou forsaken me?" This thirst is primarily physical but comes about because the Son of God has now been put into hell, a hell that he does not deserve. You and I deserve that unquenchable, unremitting, agonizing thirst because we have sought to fill our lives with anything and everything but him.

At the cross, Jesus asks the question, what do you thirst after? Throughout Scripture, thirst is a metaphor for a deep, inward spiritual emptiness and need. Without God we will die, because the Bible says that what we most thirst for and need at the center of our lives is not stuff but God. The question always is, what do I drink to fill that deep and profound thirst within me?

Those of us who grew up on the ocean know that sometimes you get thirsty while sailing or boating. If you run out of water, the last thing you want to do is put your mouth down into the salt water. It will only increase your thirst and accelerate the process of dehydration. Every one of us puts our mouth down into the salt water of whatever we use to meet our deepest needs. Jesus Christ became for you the One who thirsted unto death... It was as if he was placed into the position of eternal separation from God that you and I deserve.

"I am Thirsty" by Joseph Skip Ryan

don't offer people a system

In the last post, I said how good the Bible is in helping us in every situation - learning how to live, speak, think etc. But another thing need to be noted.

In Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands, Paul Tripp says, "We forget that the only hope the principles offer rests on the Person, Jesus Christ. And we forget that the Bible is not an encyclopedia, but a story of God's plan to rescue hopeless and helpless humanity. It's a story about people who are rescued from their own self-sufficiency and wisdom and transported to a kingdom where Jesus is central and true hope is alive. We cannot treat the Bible as a collection of therapeutic insights. To do so distorts its message and will not lead to lasting change. If a system could give us what we need, Jesus would never have come. But he came because what was wrong with us could not be fixed any other way. He is the only answer, so we must never offer a message that is less than the good news. We don't offer people a system; we point them to a Redeemer. He is hope."

So the gospel and redemption come first before we even bother trying to live a pure life.

"By keeping it according to Your word"

How can a young man keep his way pure?

By keeping it according to Your word.

With all my heart I have sought You;

Do not let me wander from Your commandments.

You word I have treasured in my heart,

That I may not sin against You.

-Psalm 119:9-11

This morning, verse 9 stood out to me as my sins become more evident. How do I live purely? How do I love purely? How do I think purely? How do I speak purely?

By keeping my way according to God's Word.

I sometimes try hard to "fix" my problems just by doing what I think is logical or just by how I feel, but the true way is God's way found in His Word. And in verse 11 and just the whole Ps 119, the psalmist delights, treasures, clings to the Word. But I don't when I forget the power of it and that it is from my God.

So how do I love purely? what does the Word say about love? 1 Cor 13, 1 John 4:10

How do I think purely? what does the Word say about how we should use our minds? Phil 2:3, Col 2:3

How do I speak purely? what does the Word say about my speech? 1 Peter 4:11, Eph 4:29

How do I live purely? ... by keeping it according to Your word

"Yet I Sin"

From The Valley of Vision

Eternal Father,

Thou art good beyond all thought,

But I am vile, wretched, miserable, blind;

My lips are ready to confess, but my heart is slow to feel,

and my ways reluctant to amend

I bring my soul to thee;

break it, wound it, bend it, mould it.

Unmask to me sin's deformity,

that I may hate it, abhor it, flee from it.

My faculties have been a weapon of revolt against thee;

as a rebel I have misused my strength,

and served the foul adversary of thy kingdom.

Give me grace to bewail my insensate folly,

Grant me to know that the way of transgressors is hard,

that evil paths are wretched paths,

that to depart from thee is to lose all good.

I have seen the purity and beauty of thy perfect law,

the happiness of those in whose heart it reigns,

the calm dignity of the walk to which it calls,

yet I daily violate and contemn its precepts.

Thy loving Spirits strives within me,

brings me Scripture warnings,

speaks in startling whispers,

yet I choose devices and desires to my own hurt,

impiously resent, grieve, and provoke him to abandon me

All these sins I mourn, lament, and for them cry pardon.

Work in me more profound and abiding repentance;

Give me the fullness of a godly grief that trembles and fears,

yet ever trusts and loves,

which is ever powerful, and ever confident;

Grant that through the tears of repentance I may see more clearly

the brightness and glories of the saving cross.