Find in Thee thine all in All

Love is a choice, and God chose us.
Praise Him!

What Veggie Tales still teaches/reminds me of.

The gifts that God has blessed us with, our talents and resources and comforts, are not to be used for our own benefit, but in service to the One who gave us Love. What He gave to us, we return to Him in endless gratitude. That's serving. That is living a life of love.

Repetition of Praise!

As believers, we are allowed to spend eternity standing complete before the Throne of Christ, saying over and over again "Jesus died my soul save. Oh praise the one who paid my debts and raised this life up from the dead. To Him, I owe it all. Hallellujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Great is the name of the Lord God Almighty.

Thumper.

This cute little cheeky rabbit is Thumper, one of the most beloved characters from Disney's Classic movie, Bambi. I can't help but think about this little guy every time the phrase "if you can't say something nice, don't say nothin' at all" enters my head.
This phrase is one of the best remembered from all of Bambi. Disney did a great job of making the concept one that children of all ages would remember for a lifetime (I myself am living proof). In fact, upon researching this phrase, it turns out that this moral has come to be known by as the "Thumperian principle"! Thank you Wikipedia (I think you're at least partially reliable!)
Even though it's a familiar, is this really something we really put in to practice in our day to day lives?
Sometimes I feel like the older we get, the more childish we consider this idea to be. Of course on the surface, only saying nice things seems "just super!". But in reality, humor and jokes tend to be sarcastic and sometimes you can get the best laugh by cutting a dear friend down. These situations are easily justified by telling yourself (they're my friend, they know I'm just kidding.)
But Proverbs 34:13-14 states,

"Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it."

Correct me if I'm wrong, but in no way do I believe that pointing out the flaw of a friend for the sake of a joke is an act of peace. More seriously, wouldn't this be an example of pride in its purest form? You're cutting someone else down for your own benefit. You're treating someone you supposedly love in such a way that disfigures love of Christ and in such a way that others would view hypocritical.
Holding your tongue is a principle. It's about being kind. Last time I checked, kindness was still listed as one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
I know in my personal day-to-day life I am by NO MEANS clear of doing this. But it has been on my heart quite often throughout this past week, and now I see a speck in my own eye that I need to concentrate on asking and allowing God to remove.

It's all about Christ's perfect love.

Sophomore Year Fall Semester

I want to come off of this semester describing it as being chock full of purely empirical experiences.

Summertime and Piggies.

I have always liked summer, despite the heat. I enjoy sunny days and ice cream, swimming pools and sno-cones, sleeping in and staying up late (which are two habits I tend to follow no matter what the season may be, but they certainly fit best during the Summer season.)

So out of the Christian University environment and back in the comfort of my own home and bed (which has a REAL mattress and not whatever that thing HPU has me sleeping on is), needless to say, it has been a while since I have updated my blog. Oops. Maybe I should give myself some leeway since I happened to assume that this would happen and I'm not neccessarily sure anyone really reads this, but then again, this isn't for the people reading it, this is for myself and for God. Writing of His and my relationship is a great way of exposing it to better understand it; understanding leads to maturity.

So, what did God teach me this summer? A lot, and it has only been about a month and a half, so that would be a long blog post that I'm not necessarily capable of writing at this point. Easier question: What has God taught me today?

A fool may know just as much as a wise man, but a wise man puts his knowledge in to action while a fool does not.
There are many things I know. I know how to tie my shoes, I know that 2+2=4, I know the difference between Microeconomics and Macroeconomics. I know that I should be in God's word everyday. I know that I should talk to God every day. I know that I should be a good steward of my money, and I know that I should tithe.
Remember how the third little piggy was wise and he built his house out of brick? He spent more time on it than those foolish piggy brothers of his did. He probably dug a hole and poured some cement in it and created a strong foundation so that when trouble came, he wouldn't be in danger because he was on solid ground, (just as our faith in God should be.) On other hand, piglets Tweedledee and Tweedledum knew that sticks and straw weren't the most reliable of materials, but they were sure easier and more "time efficient". They had watched HGTV. They knew that you need a sturdy foundation and proper materials to build something reliable and trustworthy.

But knowing truth doesn't make you wise. Actually being in God's word and building upon your relationship with him is what brings about maturity in your faith and in other areas of your life as well. Just because I know that I should do something is not enough, it does not separate me from anyone who God as deemed a "fool". But the wise man knows all about solid foundations. He knows everything that a fool knows... He just doesn't wait until the Big Bad Wolf comes in order to put what he knows in to action.

Faith and Deeds.

The book of James is one of my favorites. Ever since I was little and listening to Adventures in Odyssey on tape late at night on my little battery powered tape player, and I heard an episode which concentrated on James 1:2-4. They said that verse about 3 or 4 times within the episode and I loved it so much that I rewound the tape and listened to the verse over and over again until I memorized it.
I've read James a lot. It's like... my comfort book/my go-to, so, if it's possible, there's a chance that I read it too much.
Even though it's short, there is SO much packed in to it.
So here's part of the second chapter. :)


James 2: 14-26


   What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
  But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
   Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
  You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
  In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.