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Friday, December 14, 2012

Walking by Faith


"We live by faith, not by sight" - 2 Corinthians 5:7

The idea of this verse has been weighing on my heart heavily these past few days. It's one of those verses you hear people throw around because it sounds holy, but I've never thought to look into it and analyze it. 

Hebrews 11:1 Says "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see." 

I think these past few months I've really learned what it means to walk by faith. Jumping from doctor to doctor, from one medication to another, and never finding what's causing physical pain is definitely one of the most unexpected, difficult and frustrating things I've ever experienced. It took me awhile but I think I've got a better handle on what it's suppose to look like and what it feels like to not have control, but to know there's light at the end of the tunnel. 

Knowing that God has a more beautiful plan than I could ever create for myself is, I think, the only reason I've continued to have hope this past semester. The relief that my life isn't determined by the desires of a silly girl trying to find the easy way out, but by an Almighty God who loves and wants the best for me. At times I feel down, not only physically but emotionally. Then I remember John 14:18 says "I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you." God sent us His Spirit for a reason! Scripture calls God's Spirit Comforter,and in times of doubt or exhaustion we can turn to Him and know He's there. There's no better feeling in the world than knowing that we worship a LIVING God, and that we can turn to Him at any time for comfort in any area of our lives!

I ask myself all the time questions like: What career should I choose? Where do I want to live after college? Will I even want to finish college? I think walking by faith can mean you have no clue what the answers are to any of these questions. But knowing that if you truly trust God, there's no better journey than one submitted to Jesus, whether you know what it looks like or not.  

 Although times may seem difficult now, we can't see the big picture to know what God is teaching us at this exact moment, or how it will effect our lives later down the road. We forget sometimes that we only see a tiny glimpse of what's really going on. But we should believe that He obviously has a hand on our lives. It can be super easy to make a plan and stick to it. It becomes more difficult when you aren't  the One making the plans and unexpected occurrences come our way.  But I believe it takes trust, love, and submission to God to walk by faith.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Representing Jesus

How many of us realize the moment we wake up every day that we need to represent Jesus to the best of our abilities? I'll admit it, some days I do and some days I don't. But it is definitely something I need to work on! 

---"And whatever you do in word or in deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." Colossians 3:17.--- 

This is a command for us to attach Jesus' name to every thing we do. When we think about our average day, are we willing to attach the name of Christ to things we do? Whether it is our attitude or our work ethic or the people we hang out with, are we comfortable doing these things in the name of Jesus? We need to be conscience of this when we wake up, and make it mandatory to live for Christ above all else. If we live for Christ then we shouldn't have to worry about whether or not it is a good example or not. 

If we wake up with this on our minds, then the people we are surrounded with on a daily basis will notice this in us. If we are selfless and considerate, those around us will see this and wonder "Why are they so sweet or generous?" And this is a good thing! As Christians, we should want people to notice Christ in our lives and long for what we have. When we are aware of the example we are setting, it shows. And you never know who is going to be around to notice you. It could be someone that has never heard of Jesus before in their life and they will begin to ask questions. How awesome is it when we hear stories about a friend who was selfish and nasty and how they meet a Christian and it turns their life upside down? A complete 180. And the beauty of it is, all the glory goes to God. We cannot claim this on our own because on our own, we are nothing. 

So basically, we need to live representing Christ as best we can. There's no reason we shouldn't.