"For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires." --Hebrews 4:12.
"All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip His people to do every good work." --2 Timothy 3:16-17.
Something that I have noticed in the past few years as I have been running towards Christ is the wisdom attained from Scripture. (You're probably thinking "Of course, Kelsey, how could you not see that?!") But not only from reading and meditating on the Word, but actively listening to what God is saying through it.
I have been amazed at the similarities in phrases used by all of the different writers of Scripture, Old Testament and New, doctors and tax collectors, tent makers and prophets, Jews and Gentiles. But really, God wrote all of the books. In actively listening to the Word, I mean that we need to read these things that God has allowed men to write in a way that we can best apply it to our own lives and place it in our long-term memories. Nothing blesses me more in reading the Word of God than when I read a verse that immediately reminds me of another verse and I just have to write down the other reference. This is what I mean by applying the Word to apply the Word...the Holy Spirit highlights things for us and allows us to see parallels that help us understand the Scriptures better.
No other words compare to the words that God has written down for us in the Bible, so why do we always fill our "expositions" with the thoughts of other humans? The best way to get the most out of Scripture is to apply other Scripture. Remember, it's God-breathed.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Just Like You.
But God sees through my foolish pride,
And I’m weak life Adam another victim of Lucifer’s foolish lies
But then in steps Jesus,
All men were created to lead but we need somebody to lead us
More than a teacher,
But somebody who buy us back from the darkness,
Say He redeemed us,
Taught us that real leaders follow God,
Finish the work ‘cuz we on our job
Taught us not to rob
But give life love a wife like He loved the Church,
Not seeing how many hearts we can break first
I wanna be like you in every way,
So if I gotta die everyday
Unworthy sacrifice
But the least I can do is give the most to me
Because being just like you is what I’m ‘spose to be
You said you came for the lame,
I’m the lamest
I made a mess you say you’ll erase it,
I’ll take it
You said you came for the lame,
I’m the lamest
I broke my life, but you say you’ll replace it,
I’ll take it.
--lecrae.
And I’m weak life Adam another victim of Lucifer’s foolish lies
But then in steps Jesus,
All men were created to lead but we need somebody to lead us
More than a teacher,
But somebody who buy us back from the darkness,
Say He redeemed us,
Taught us that real leaders follow God,
Finish the work ‘cuz we on our job
Taught us not to rob
But give life love a wife like He loved the Church,
Not seeing how many hearts we can break first
I wanna be like you in every way,
So if I gotta die everyday
Unworthy sacrifice
But the least I can do is give the most to me
Because being just like you is what I’m ‘spose to be
You said you came for the lame,
I’m the lamest
I made a mess you say you’ll erase it,
I’ll take it
You said you came for the lame,
I’m the lamest
I broke my life, but you say you’ll replace it,
I’ll take it.
--lecrae.
Psalm 105:19.
"Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the LORD tested Joseph's character." --Psalm 105:19.
If God used such extreme circumstances to test and refine Joseph's character, how could we expect any less?
Hang in there. Stay committed to God. Trust.
If God used such extreme circumstances to test and refine Joseph's character, how could we expect any less?
Hang in there. Stay committed to God. Trust.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Secret Millionaire.
I've been watching a show called Secret Millionaire lately. In the show, they find a millionaire who has a desire to give back to the community and is willing to put up some of their own money in order to do so. They get flown to a strange city, usually the slums of a city, and they are provided with a very old car and a typical one bedroom house/apartment as well as $50 for a week. They spend 4 or 5 days exploring the community and volunteering at local charities or organizations that are trying to make an impact on the community (soup kitchen, afterschool program, etc.).
On the 6th day, the millionaire decides which of the organizations they would like to make a donation to and they write the checks. They go to the locations and give them the checks, after explaining that they are, in fact, millionaires and will be heading back to their homes that day. They give anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 to one organization and the people they give the checks to are always (understandably) so appreciative that all they can do is cry and hug the millionaire. This is such an amazing idea for a tv show and I think it will inspire other people to be just as generous with the funds the LORD has provided for them.
But I want to say that sometimes, money is not enough. Usually, the soup kitchens appreciate the help that the millionaire gives to them that week in volunteering more than the final donation they receive. Isn't that strange?! The world tells us that money can create happiness...security...worth...satisfaction. But it turns out that the love of a willing heart is so much more valuable! Now, don't get me wrong...the show still brings tears to my eyes because the donations allow the organizations to upgrade their facilities or expand their efforts or pay off some of their debt! God provides!
On the 6th day, the millionaire decides which of the organizations they would like to make a donation to and they write the checks. They go to the locations and give them the checks, after explaining that they are, in fact, millionaires and will be heading back to their homes that day. They give anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 to one organization and the people they give the checks to are always (understandably) so appreciative that all they can do is cry and hug the millionaire. This is such an amazing idea for a tv show and I think it will inspire other people to be just as generous with the funds the LORD has provided for them.
But I want to say that sometimes, money is not enough. Usually, the soup kitchens appreciate the help that the millionaire gives to them that week in volunteering more than the final donation they receive. Isn't that strange?! The world tells us that money can create happiness...security...worth...satisfaction. But it turns out that the love of a willing heart is so much more valuable! Now, don't get me wrong...the show still brings tears to my eyes because the donations allow the organizations to upgrade their facilities or expand their efforts or pay off some of their debt! God provides!
There's A Place For Us.
Lately, it has come to my vivid attention that we go through all sorts of stages in our lives. When we are little, all we can think about it ourselves and the things that we want...I'm hungry, I'm tired of this show, she stole my tricycle. Then we become a little more aware of the needs of the people around us and we begin to show them that we care...I love you, here's a big sloppy kiss, I made you a mud pie. We enter school and we are bombarded by the thousands of very strong personalities we encounter in our kindergarten class...some people thrive and some people retreat. And even though we slowly mature all through elementary and middle school, the kindergarten dynamic remains relatively unchanged...we all desire to be that person that is deemed worthy of being considered someone's friend...we want to find people that we feel comfortable around, who (though we don't realize it) will probably shape our behaviors. This is the period of time when most Christians are saved and begin their new life in Christ, though there are many realization points along the way.
"God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God's masterpiece. He created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago." --Ephesians 2:8-10.
And then we enter high school, where we are in classes with people whom we have never gone to school with before. We try to "be ourselves" while still hoping that people will like us, and find only seldom success. The problem is this: we are still being influenced by the idea that we obtained when we were younger, that our needs and wants are more important than meeting other peoples' needs and wants, though God has adequately equipped us to do the latter. High school, where everyone's ideas collide. We feel like there has to be more depth to the relationships that are formed there. Sadly enough, even the strongest Christians can be negatively influenced by the apathy and selfishness around them, because it has a permeating effect. High schoolers, for some reason, become much too concerned with what is expected of them according to society. I don't know what it is about the high school environment that makes it so different from college...maybe it's a mixture of some people wanting to grow up too fast and some people wanting to stay young forever...both thinking that they have learned all there is to know in life. This is normally when the grain is separated from the chaff...and, sadly, many of the people who committed their lives to Christ when they were younger forget their first love and instead run to fleshly desires for "satisfaction."
"Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too." --Philippians 2:3-4.
Then there is college...a breath of fresh air (normally). Where people grow and mature exponentially if they commit themselves to it. Where they can actually become the adults that God created them to be if they listen to His leading. I would venture to say that college is where most people find their identity in Christ...where they can truly be accepted for who they are. I think it has to do with moving away from home and learning how much responsibility it takes to live on our own. And then there comes a time when God shifts our focus and makes us realize that we do not belong in this stage of life anymore...that He has something better waiting for us. When everything is stripped away from us and all that we have known is suddenly miles away, we should realize the comfort that Christ has always tried to provide for us, though we were too stubborn to recognize and accept it when we were living our lives for ourselves.
"We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps." --Proverbs 16:9.
There's a place for us. And though it might take what seems like way too long for God to tell us where that place is, we still trust Him and know that He is taking care of us.
"God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God's masterpiece. He created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago." --Ephesians 2:8-10.
And then we enter high school, where we are in classes with people whom we have never gone to school with before. We try to "be ourselves" while still hoping that people will like us, and find only seldom success. The problem is this: we are still being influenced by the idea that we obtained when we were younger, that our needs and wants are more important than meeting other peoples' needs and wants, though God has adequately equipped us to do the latter. High school, where everyone's ideas collide. We feel like there has to be more depth to the relationships that are formed there. Sadly enough, even the strongest Christians can be negatively influenced by the apathy and selfishness around them, because it has a permeating effect. High schoolers, for some reason, become much too concerned with what is expected of them according to society. I don't know what it is about the high school environment that makes it so different from college...maybe it's a mixture of some people wanting to grow up too fast and some people wanting to stay young forever...both thinking that they have learned all there is to know in life. This is normally when the grain is separated from the chaff...and, sadly, many of the people who committed their lives to Christ when they were younger forget their first love and instead run to fleshly desires for "satisfaction."
"Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too." --Philippians 2:3-4.
Then there is college...a breath of fresh air (normally). Where people grow and mature exponentially if they commit themselves to it. Where they can actually become the adults that God created them to be if they listen to His leading. I would venture to say that college is where most people find their identity in Christ...where they can truly be accepted for who they are. I think it has to do with moving away from home and learning how much responsibility it takes to live on our own. And then there comes a time when God shifts our focus and makes us realize that we do not belong in this stage of life anymore...that He has something better waiting for us. When everything is stripped away from us and all that we have known is suddenly miles away, we should realize the comfort that Christ has always tried to provide for us, though we were too stubborn to recognize and accept it when we were living our lives for ourselves.
"We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps." --Proverbs 16:9.
There's a place for us. And though it might take what seems like way too long for God to tell us where that place is, we still trust Him and know that He is taking care of us.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Blessed Assurance.
God has been making me think about something lately that I find very interesting. I think it first sprouted off of Philippians 3:10: "I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead. I want to suffer with Him, sharing in His death." Oh, the depth of Paul's affection for our LORD and his immense faith. (As a sidenote, I think that all too often Christians think that the level of faith that Paul and the other apostles had is unattainable for us today. Even though they saw the risen LORD, I think we have just as much opportunity to experience their level of faith as they did.)
Of this I am absolutely certain: the LORD is going to send Casey and I some sort of difficulty or hardship that we are not yet prepared for. Ever since the LORD revealed that to me, I've been feeling convicted about complaining about little things that are not difficult in the slightest. If I can't endure tiny trials without counting it all joy, then how will we ever be able to face what the LORD has for us later in life?
"That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever." --2 Corinthians 4:16-18.
"That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong." --2 Corinthians 12:10.
Nothing is impossible for God. That is why the assurance of sufferings is blessed...because there is nothing that our God can't do.
Of this I am absolutely certain: the LORD is going to send Casey and I some sort of difficulty or hardship that we are not yet prepared for. Ever since the LORD revealed that to me, I've been feeling convicted about complaining about little things that are not difficult in the slightest. If I can't endure tiny trials without counting it all joy, then how will we ever be able to face what the LORD has for us later in life?
"That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever." --2 Corinthians 4:16-18.
"That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong." --2 Corinthians 12:10.
Nothing is impossible for God. That is why the assurance of sufferings is blessed...because there is nothing that our God can't do.
This I Know.
Jesus loves me, this I know
For the Bible tells me so.
Such a simple chorus...most of us learn it before we even know how to talk...but how often do we actually reflect on the simple truths that are housed in the most elementary and fundamental phrases? I know that Jesus loves me because the Bible tells me so...but I also know that He loves me because that's all I have. I've been considering this for a few months now...and, ironically, it was prompted by something my grandmother said that struck a nerve. The first time I saw her after we got engaged, she said "What are you going to do, live on love?!" At the time, I was actually quite irritated by that, but after thinking about it, I came to this conclusion: everyone lives on love.
Every single person in the world is in search of the love that will never fail or disappoint. So whether we have found that the Source of this love is our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ...or we are still deceived into thinking that there are people on this earth capable of giving us this love...or we haven't quite recognized that love is what we are seeking...we are all living on love. As Christians, we realize that all we have is the love of our Father. Everything else comes directly from that...James 1:17 tells us that "Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow." Through more in-depth study, we learn that the love being described in 1 Corinthians 13 is the agape love that God has for us. This love is also described in Romans 5:1-11.
Jesus loves me, this I know
For He Himself tells me so.
"In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought life to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it." --John 1:1-5.
The Word. God's Word. The Bible.
Jesus loves me, this I know
For the Bible tells me so.
For the Bible tells me so.
Such a simple chorus...most of us learn it before we even know how to talk...but how often do we actually reflect on the simple truths that are housed in the most elementary and fundamental phrases? I know that Jesus loves me because the Bible tells me so...but I also know that He loves me because that's all I have. I've been considering this for a few months now...and, ironically, it was prompted by something my grandmother said that struck a nerve. The first time I saw her after we got engaged, she said "What are you going to do, live on love?!" At the time, I was actually quite irritated by that, but after thinking about it, I came to this conclusion: everyone lives on love.
Every single person in the world is in search of the love that will never fail or disappoint. So whether we have found that the Source of this love is our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ...or we are still deceived into thinking that there are people on this earth capable of giving us this love...or we haven't quite recognized that love is what we are seeking...we are all living on love. As Christians, we realize that all we have is the love of our Father. Everything else comes directly from that...James 1:17 tells us that "Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow." Through more in-depth study, we learn that the love being described in 1 Corinthians 13 is the agape love that God has for us. This love is also described in Romans 5:1-11.
Jesus loves me, this I know
For He Himself tells me so.
"In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought life to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it." --John 1:1-5.
The Word. God's Word. The Bible.
Jesus loves me, this I know
For the Bible tells me so.
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