Hold On

           
  "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." Revelation 21:4  
           
As human beings, this is all we know. The colorful blossoms of the trees of spring; the warm green colors of summer; the orange and red leaves of fall; and the blustery snowstorms in the winter months. We see people being born and we see them die. We see the sun rise in the morning and set at night. But when we start to think about heaven, where it's continually day and people don't die, it's hard for us to imagine such a place. However, we know that there is, because we are told about it in Scripture.

Revelation 21:1 "Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea."

The things we know now will be gone forever. Man-made objects that we value today like our computers, cell phones, televisions, cars, and houses will no longer be needed. This is not all there is to life. For Christ commands us in Scripture to be more concerned about our heavenly treasures than our "possessions" on earth. Matthew 6:21 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

So, the question arises, which do we hold on to more? Our earthly goods or our treasures that we are storing in heaven? It's quite clear as to which is more important, but it can sometimes get easy for people to get comfortable with where they are. Their surroundings and possessions become so important to them, that in some cases, something "outside" is alien and not worth pursuing. And as humans in a world where things and lives are only temporal, it's hard to imagine a world where nothing never ends. It's continuous and nothing ever dies out, fades, or ceases to exist. It's sometimes hard to imagine eternity. I remember that as a young girl, I had a hard time imagining that God was never created. It's just amazing to us, because we know things to have a beginning and an end. But He never had a beginning; He always was. He will never have an end and He will never "die out". God will always be there.

But back to the question. It might be good to ask just how much stock we put in what we own. Do we put our talents before the One Who gave us those talents? Does our bank account mean more to us than putting money in the offering plate on Sunday. Of course with money, people are struggling financially. But we are commanded to give to the poor and needy.  God will bless those who give to the unfortunate. And I wonder if I have been like that where I get so wrapped up in "my little world", that I fail to seek God's guidance in areas or forget to spend those "quality" times with Him? Because holding on to what's important is a matter of setting our priorities straight. Do we put football before going to church? Would we rather watch Youtube videos than spend time in the Word. Where do we focus our energies the most and why?

My main thought with this, is that as Christians, many need to get things in their proper order. Our eternal home is more important than our earthly homes--though we all try to take care of them as best as we can. But when priorities are mixed up and God is put on the back burner, eternal things don't matter. I'm not saying that wanting more treasures in heaven should be our focus. But rather, because we want to serve and honor God; to make Him smile.

1 Corinthians 3:8 and 12-13 "Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor....Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is."

Revelation 22:12 "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work."

Revelation 22:14 "Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city."

To sum up these thoughts, I thought I would add a commentary by Charles Stanley regarding Matthew 6:21, in which he asks "What do you think about most throughout the day? What gets your heart beating fastest and loudest? What do you think you couldn't live without? Whatever "it" is, it's your treasure--and nothing but God is worthy of it".

God bless
Anna   
 

His Plans!

And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not;

I will lead them in paths that they have not known:

I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight.

These things will I do unto them,

and not forsake them.

Isaiah 42: 16

This verse stood out to me as one that offered much needed encouragement. So many people struggle with following God through the unknown--perhaps young adults fight with this uncertainty even more so. The intense pressure of needing a specific direction, the confusion in planning events, the waiting while groping for a hint of a pathway; these all can lead to a season of tension and anxiety. Some of us have a fairly specific direction laid out for the next couple years. Others live from month to month, while still others have no idea what lies ahead in the next day. 

Many times it appears like we're walking on an untrodden path--and in many ways we are. Each of us has a radically different life plan in some way or another, but there are some stages of life that almost everybody else has passed through. And for those who love to plan out--to a large or small degree--the details in their life, this can be a trying time because there ends up being so much uncertainty. Yet, even in that uncertainty, God still promises four things from Isaiah 42:16. This verse is written primarily to God's chosen people--the Israelites, but I think it offers consolation to the rest of God's children, as well.  

1. And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not;

God leads those who are blind through the ways that they don't know about. We are sometimes completely blind to future events, opportunities, failures, successes, and life decisions. God promises to bring us through all of that. Not just showing us what to do and pointing out the way. No, He brings us through it. He's walking beside us, guiding our footsteps and keeping our hearts fixed on Him. To those who are blind, He gives His sight. Leading them on the King's Highway, He brings them to their heavenly home where they can look back and see life's road--that was formerly so dark--stretched out perfectly before them. 

2. I will lead them in paths that they have not known:

God leads His children down pathways in life that they would have never dreamed of. The picture that usually enters my mind when I heard the word "lead" is one of a shepherd walking out in front of his flock of sheep--leading them down uncertain pathways. Different pathways have different endings. Some will end in sorrow; some with abundant blessing. I'm not referring to the "good and evil pathways", but rather, these are the circumstances that God has chosen for us to go through. He leads us through joyful situations, but He also never lets go of our hands when He takes us through the sorrowful ones. We don't always know how each pathway ends--but our Shepherd is always leading us. 

Sometimes on the mount where the sun shines so bright,

God leads His dear children along;

Sometimes in the valley, in darkest of night, 

God leads His dear children along.

3. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight.

Just as God turned our hearts from darkness to light, and from the broad path to the narrow way during our conversion; so He also turns our mental darkness to the light of His hope, and from the crooked road of uncertainty to the straightened path of trust in God. When our minds become darkened while struggling with internal emotions, then we tend to wander in the crooked path of hopelessness. But it should not be so. We have a hope, and even in the most drastic situations, that hope still remains because God is faithful and He cannot go against His own promises. "It is in the unknown that fellowship with my Lord is sweetest. It is in the unknown that God's mercy is most beautifully manifested. It is in the unknown that our faith is refined and comes forth shining more brightly." 

Out of my darkness Jesus blood has won the fight

Into His likeness--what a wonderful sight

Making my way into his kingdom so bright

Out of my darkness and into His light. 

4. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.

Wrapping up this verse, God sums up with His promises. Because He is God and cannot lie (Numbers 23:19), and because His word always accomplishes His purpose (Isaiah 55:11), so we know that His promise to never forsake us will also remain immovable. Not only does He promise to bring the blind through ways they never imagined; not only does He promise to lead us down paths that we don't know about; not only does He promise to make darkness light and to straighten crooked things; but He also commits to performing these things in our lives. And through it all He says He will never ever forsake His children--no matter how easy or difficult the circumstances may be. "And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed." (Deuteronomy 31:8) Whether you see the next 10 years or 2 hours laid out for you, we need "never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God." (Corrie Ten Boom)

To Him our future is a memory. His plans are good. 

In Christ,

Kaleigh

His Unconditional Love!

"For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16


This past week and this week is turning out to be a trying time. With turning another year older, putting off a test for another week, and financial difficulties, life seems to be yet on another downward spiral. However, in the midst of this, I'm reminded of the important things in life. Friends who cared enough to want to be a part of my day, a test that I know I can conquer on God's strength, and money that He will provide. We all struggle, but it's good to re-focus on what is important in life and not focus on past mistakes and failures. And one very important thing that I would like to share with you this week, is God's enduring love.

To start with, what we see in the opening verse of this post, God's love was so great that He sent His Son to take our punishment upon Himself and die in our place. What human creator would make something out of clay and be willing to lay down his own life for it? Not many, if there be any. But God, Who made man out of simple dust, (Genesis 2:7), cared enough to save him by sacrificing His own Son. Man--who was made in God's image --was (and still is) a masterpiece.

Friend, you are a masterpiece; made in your heavenly Father's image. Look to Him not only in your weakest moments, but even when you feel the strongest. Because even what we think we are strong, there is always some circumstance that will hit us head on that we can't handle on our own strength.

Let's take a quick look at John 13:27-28,  "When Judas had eaten the bread, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him, 'Hurry and do what you're going to do.' None of the others at the table knew what Jesus meant." In this example, we once again see God's love shining ever so brightly. As another commentary said to sum up the message of this verse, "We can see that Jesus knew exactly what was going to happen. He knew about Judas and about Peter [who would later deny Him], but He did not change the situation, nor did He stop loving them". Jesus knew their hearts and what they were going to do to Him in the very near future. But yet, He did not stop loving them. Just as before the earth was formed, God knew that sin would enter the world. He knew that Adam and Eve would eat the fruit. He's known for all eternity of each and every sin we would make. But even with knowing that His creation would turn against him, the plan didn't change. "In the same way, Jesus knows exactly what you will do to hurt Him. Yet He still loves you unconditionally and will forgive you whenever you ask Him." We may not intentionally hurt God, but we do. And as with friends, we make amends. We apologize and forgive and apologize and forgive. We move on from mistakes and press forward. But when we stumble again, we ask for forgiveness and pick ourselves back up.

Later on in the same chapter, Jesus says this: "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." Wow..what a challenge! Jesus knows that our love can never be like His; yet, He commands us to love others as He loves us. Another commentary revealed this thought, "To love others was not a new commandment (see Leviticus 19:18), but to love others as much as Christ loved others was revolutionary. Now we are to love others based on Jesus' sacrificial love for us. Such love will not only bring unbelievers to Christ; it will also keep believers strong and united in a world hostile to God. Jesus was a living example of God's love, as we are to be living examples of Jesus' love".

"Love is more than simply warm feelings; it is an attitude that reveals itself in action. How can we love others as Jesus loves us? By helping when it's not convenient, by giving when it hurts, by devoting energy to others' welfare rather than our own, by absorbing hurts from others without complaining or fighting back. This kind of loving is hard to do. That is why people notice when you do it and know you are empowered by a supernatural source." When the Holy Spirit lives in us, we are "empowered by a supernatural source" with a love that we cannot contain. As Kaleigh had written in her post about friends, it's important to put their needs ahead of our own. We are to encourage them in the Lord and build them up. Friendship, and relationships in general, are not based on "When I feel like helping you" or "When it seems like the right time..".  Just like God. God does not forgive us when He feels like it. God always welcomes us back into His fold and He wants us to be reconciled with Him. That's just how great God's love is. :)

In closing, I'm not going to write God's Love Letter to us out, but I hope that you want to read it when you have time or need the reminder of just how great His love is.

"The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee." ~Jeremiah 31:3

In Christ,
Anna

Happy 20th birthday, Anna!

The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:

The Lord make his face to shine upon thee,

and be gracious unto thee:

The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, 

and give thee peace. 

Numbers 6:24-26

Dear Anna,

Yes, I know it is your turn to post, but I am taking the liberty to write something for you on your birthdate. I don’t remember the exact date when I first met you, but I know it was late in 2011. It feels like so much has happened since then as the days and months have flown by. And, of course, I learned more about you as the time progressed. ;)

I saw several specific character qualities in you as the days passed, and they are ones that I admire greatly. First of all, you have a heart for the Lord. You desire Him to lead you in everything you do, and you are constantly evaluating your actions to see whether they are right or wrong. I have seen you stand strong even when your morals were being tested. Also, your care, concern, and sensitivity for others is exemplary. You are always quick to send an e-card, question how someone’s doing, or express your sorrow or excitement when others talk with you. Another thing I appreciate is your teasing (yes, I really said that). You always try to make me laugh whether or not I already am, but of course, I must return the favor back to you. I always love seeing your smile and hearing you laugh.

Thank you for your friendship, sis. It has truly been a blessing, and I trust that it will only deepen over the span of time. I pray that your 20^th year will be one of spiritual growth and increase hope in our Savior. May you continually ask God for wisdom (James 1:5) as you seek to be filled with the hope of Christ (Romans 15:13). As you are constantly sanctified (1Thessalonians 4:3), I pray that you know the faithfulness (Deuteronomy 31:8), mercy (Lamentations 3:22-23), and love (Romans 8:35-39) of God more fully this year; remembering that He it is who gives you His strength (Philippians 4:13) to complete His plan for your life (Jeremiah 29:11; Philippians 1:6).

I know it won’t be easy. I never said it would;

But My grace will always be there;

My plans for you are good.

Remember that your weaknesses are perfect in My sight.

Only when you yield them to Me

Can I turn them into Might!

And I will be your Shield when the battle rages on.

And I will be your light when the way ahead is dark.

I will be your Strong Tower and guide you every hour,

Just place your life completely in My hands.

~Rachel Wissmann (song: I am Your Shield)

Love you, sis. <3 I hope your day is a very special one. :) 

In Him,

Kaleigh