When I sign in to my blogger account, it tells me how many views I have on any one post. I frequently check the number of views on my posts after I post them. It's how I measure my success, I guess you could say.
Yesterday night God told me to stop checking it. To stop checking how many views I have after posting a blog.
My response: "But, but, but then I won't know if people stop reading my blog! What if people stop reading my blog and I'm just wasting my time? How will I know if its worth my time?"
His response: "If I told you to do it, it's worth your time. Even if only ONE person ever reads your blog, it will be worth your time because I told you to do it. Your success is not measured by how many people read your blog but by how well you obey Me. You could have 10,000 followers but if you're not writing what I told you to, you've failed."
Wow. Makes total sense. It's worth my time. It kinda reminds me of Joshua and Jericho. Like seriously, who walks around a city to conquer it? Total waste of time, if you'd asked me. But that was how they were going to be able to conquer the city. They had to walk around the city. I'm sure it looked totally dumb and pointless at the time, but in the end it WAS worth their time because God told them to do it.
Friday, April 26, 2013
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Write it down/You're too young
Part 1: Write it down
I feel like the art of taking notes in church and journaling at home is dying. In church the only people I ever see taking notes are the older generation. My generation just doesn't care to. But why should we take notes? Why should we journal?
1 Peter 3:15b "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." If someone asked you right now what God has been teaching you, would you be able to answer off the top of your head? I'm going to guess probably not. I wouldn't be able to remember. But because I keep a journal and notes notebook, I can go back to it and show them what God has been teaching me and what scriptures have stood out to me lately.
Habakkuk 2:2 says "Write down the vision and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it." What does a herald do? He tells people things; he brings a message! So ultimately the reason we should write it down is so we can tell other people. That's what the Gospel is all about, right? After all, what good does God's message do if people don't hear about it? What good does God's Word do if people don't hear about it?
Part 2: You're too young
When God gave me the idea for this post, immediately after I thought about it, Satan said, "You're too young to write this. Who wants to listen to a 15 year old tell them what they should do? What experience do you have? What makes you qualified to write this?" And I almost listened.
But thank God for His Word, which says that I shouldn't let anyone look down on me because I'm young, but rather I should be an example!
To all my fellow young people, and even those who are not so young: God's Glory shining through you has nothing to do with how qualified or able YOU are but how qualified and able GOD is. It is not you who lives but Christ who lives in you.
I feel like the art of taking notes in church and journaling at home is dying. In church the only people I ever see taking notes are the older generation. My generation just doesn't care to. But why should we take notes? Why should we journal?
1 Peter 3:15b "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." If someone asked you right now what God has been teaching you, would you be able to answer off the top of your head? I'm going to guess probably not. I wouldn't be able to remember. But because I keep a journal and notes notebook, I can go back to it and show them what God has been teaching me and what scriptures have stood out to me lately.
Habakkuk 2:2 says "Write down the vision and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it." What does a herald do? He tells people things; he brings a message! So ultimately the reason we should write it down is so we can tell other people. That's what the Gospel is all about, right? After all, what good does God's message do if people don't hear about it? What good does God's Word do if people don't hear about it?
Part 2: You're too young
When God gave me the idea for this post, immediately after I thought about it, Satan said, "You're too young to write this. Who wants to listen to a 15 year old tell them what they should do? What experience do you have? What makes you qualified to write this?" And I almost listened.
But thank God for His Word, which says that I shouldn't let anyone look down on me because I'm young, but rather I should be an example!
To all my fellow young people, and even those who are not so young: God's Glory shining through you has nothing to do with how qualified or able YOU are but how qualified and able GOD is. It is not you who lives but Christ who lives in you.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Take Nothing
Luke 9:1-6
"When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them, 'Take nothing for the journey - no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them.' So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the Gospel and healing people everywhere."
This verse really speaks to me because I am going to be a full-time missionary in a foreign country one day. But that's all I know. I don't know when or where or with what organization, or if I'm gonna be a church-supported independent missionary, or if I'll go to any college, or anything. I don't know at all. I'm just trusting God that when it comes to it, He'll tell me what to do.
This verse just comforts me in that if I get out of the Honor Academy Internship and God tells me to just go to a foreign country, with nothing but a call to go, He'll take care of me. I mean, the disciples didn't take ANY money or ANY food; not even extra clothes! I'm not saying that's what God's gonna tell me to do. He may give me a detailed plan. But as of this point I don't have a clue, so this scripture reminds me that He has it all figured out. I just have to trust Him.
"When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them, 'Take nothing for the journey - no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them.' So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the Gospel and healing people everywhere."
This verse really speaks to me because I am going to be a full-time missionary in a foreign country one day. But that's all I know. I don't know when or where or with what organization, or if I'm gonna be a church-supported independent missionary, or if I'll go to any college, or anything. I don't know at all. I'm just trusting God that when it comes to it, He'll tell me what to do.
This verse just comforts me in that if I get out of the Honor Academy Internship and God tells me to just go to a foreign country, with nothing but a call to go, He'll take care of me. I mean, the disciples didn't take ANY money or ANY food; not even extra clothes! I'm not saying that's what God's gonna tell me to do. He may give me a detailed plan. But as of this point I don't have a clue, so this scripture reminds me that He has it all figured out. I just have to trust Him.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
A Change of Heart
A couple months ago I thought God told me to go to India on a mission trip this summer. I mean I really, really, really, thought I was supposed to. A lot.
But my parents said no. This was the first time ever that my parents said no to a mission trip that I wanted to go on. So I decided that God would change their minds. I didn't tell anybody that I wasn't going because to me, I still was.
I remember hearing Jeremy Camp on KLOVE (a radio station) talking about when God called him and his family to move from Indiana to Nashville, Tennessee. And his wife didn't want to. But God had to change her heart. Because they really were supposed to move to Nashville.
Now, I, hearing this, thought of course it was a sign from God that He would change my parents' hearts and I would be a be able to go to India. Nope. He was preparing me for a change of my OWN heart, because as it turns out, I'm not supposed to go to India.
Instead, I'll be a bunk leader (counselor) at camp for elementary and middle school girls. I would LOVE to go on a mission trip again this summer. I can't tell you how much I'll miss it. But I'll be going on a different kind of mission trip, pouring into young girls lives as they pursue and find God.
The point of it all is that sometimes we think we have it all figured out, and that God will adjust things to our own plan. But God will do what HE knows is best, and adjusting our hearts to His plan.
But my parents said no. This was the first time ever that my parents said no to a mission trip that I wanted to go on. So I decided that God would change their minds. I didn't tell anybody that I wasn't going because to me, I still was.
I remember hearing Jeremy Camp on KLOVE (a radio station) talking about when God called him and his family to move from Indiana to Nashville, Tennessee. And his wife didn't want to. But God had to change her heart. Because they really were supposed to move to Nashville.
Now, I, hearing this, thought of course it was a sign from God that He would change my parents' hearts and I would be a be able to go to India. Nope. He was preparing me for a change of my OWN heart, because as it turns out, I'm not supposed to go to India.
Instead, I'll be a bunk leader (counselor) at camp for elementary and middle school girls. I would LOVE to go on a mission trip again this summer. I can't tell you how much I'll miss it. But I'll be going on a different kind of mission trip, pouring into young girls lives as they pursue and find God.
The point of it all is that sometimes we think we have it all figured out, and that God will adjust things to our own plan. But God will do what HE knows is best, and adjusting our hearts to His plan.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Vulnerable part 2.
So about being vulnerable...
I think I might just maybe have the hang of it. Maybe. It does get easier, but then God calls me to reveal something that really makes me cringe, something I wouldn't want anyone to know.
The thing is, now, I want to point it out every time I'm vulnerable. I want to, at the beginning of every post that I have to be vulnerable in, to say something along the lines of "This post is very hard for me" or, "Being vulnerable again!" Because deep in my heart I want something out of this. If I'm gonna have to be vulnerable on the Internet for all my friends to see, I'm gonna make sure they KNOW that I'm being vulnerable and admire me for it. If I'm gonna do what God tells me, I'm gonna milk it for all it's worth.
The hard part comes again when God tells me to stop pointing it out every time. If I'm gonna be vulnerable, it has to be genuine, and there can't be any "Oh this is soooo hard for me!" He gets all the glory. Not me. Period.
Proverbs 16:2 says "All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by The Lord."
My heart isn't a secret to Him! He knows why I do what I do every time I do it, even if I don't. He doesn't stop at outward appearances that would say I'm so submitted to Him while I actually take the glory for myself. He doesn't stop there. He demands everything, motives and all. Because He's worthy.
I think I might just maybe have the hang of it. Maybe. It does get easier, but then God calls me to reveal something that really makes me cringe, something I wouldn't want anyone to know.
The thing is, now, I want to point it out every time I'm vulnerable. I want to, at the beginning of every post that I have to be vulnerable in, to say something along the lines of "This post is very hard for me" or, "Being vulnerable again!" Because deep in my heart I want something out of this. If I'm gonna have to be vulnerable on the Internet for all my friends to see, I'm gonna make sure they KNOW that I'm being vulnerable and admire me for it. If I'm gonna do what God tells me, I'm gonna milk it for all it's worth.
The hard part comes again when God tells me to stop pointing it out every time. If I'm gonna be vulnerable, it has to be genuine, and there can't be any "Oh this is soooo hard for me!" He gets all the glory. Not me. Period.
Proverbs 16:2 says "All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by The Lord."
My heart isn't a secret to Him! He knows why I do what I do every time I do it, even if I don't. He doesn't stop at outward appearances that would say I'm so submitted to Him while I actually take the glory for myself. He doesn't stop there. He demands everything, motives and all. Because He's worthy.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Send the crowd away
"When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then He took them with Him and they withdrew by themselves to a place called Bethsaida, but the crowds learned about it and followed Him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.
Late in the afternoon the twelve came to Him and said, 'Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.'
He replied, 'You give them something to eat.'" (Luke 9:10-13)
This passage can be a parallel in a lot of ways, probably the most pointed out being that God provided in an impossible situation. But today I noticed something I had never really seen in it before.
Notice how the disciples saw a problem and immediately asked Jesus to make it go away. They saw that the people hadn't eaten and asked Jesus to send them away to get something to eat. And how does Jesus respond? He tells them to deal with the problem. The next part of the verse says this:
"They answered, 'We only have five loaves of bread and two fish-unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.'"
Now it doesn't say this in the Bible, but I could totally see some sarcasm going on here. Because seriously, the disciples didn't have anywhere near enough money to go buy food for 5,000+ people.
We can be like this a lot, I think. A hard situation comes up, and we, knowing that God can do anything, immediately ask Him to make it go away, most of the time not even stopping to ask whether He wants it to go away or not.
See, if Jesus had sent all the people away, there would've been no miraculous feeding, and the disciples wouldn't have seen God's divine provision.
God knows what He's doing. I'll probably have to tell myself that a thousand times before I die, but it's true. He knew that the disciples and the people as well needed to see His power. He knew that He could provide. In His eyes, there was never a problem in the first place.
So next time a problem comes up, stop and think before you beg God to make it go away. He just might have something better than that.
Late in the afternoon the twelve came to Him and said, 'Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.'
He replied, 'You give them something to eat.'" (Luke 9:10-13)
This passage can be a parallel in a lot of ways, probably the most pointed out being that God provided in an impossible situation. But today I noticed something I had never really seen in it before.
Notice how the disciples saw a problem and immediately asked Jesus to make it go away. They saw that the people hadn't eaten and asked Jesus to send them away to get something to eat. And how does Jesus respond? He tells them to deal with the problem. The next part of the verse says this:
"They answered, 'We only have five loaves of bread and two fish-unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.'"
Now it doesn't say this in the Bible, but I could totally see some sarcasm going on here. Because seriously, the disciples didn't have anywhere near enough money to go buy food for 5,000+ people.
We can be like this a lot, I think. A hard situation comes up, and we, knowing that God can do anything, immediately ask Him to make it go away, most of the time not even stopping to ask whether He wants it to go away or not.
See, if Jesus had sent all the people away, there would've been no miraculous feeding, and the disciples wouldn't have seen God's divine provision.
God knows what He's doing. I'll probably have to tell myself that a thousand times before I die, but it's true. He knew that the disciples and the people as well needed to see His power. He knew that He could provide. In His eyes, there was never a problem in the first place.
So next time a problem comes up, stop and think before you beg God to make it go away. He just might have something better than that.
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