So this week our english teacher wanted us to write essays for a competition. The essay topic was basically to write about a woman we regard in high esteem...I picked my grandmother. I realized she is someone I admire because she is for me, an example of a woman of Christ. She was far from perfect, but after she was saved she lived her life with a strength and hope that could only come from Christ. I realized that throughout her life she extended the love of Christ to whoever she met. In low spiritual times I wonder if my faith is just an act--my grandmother's sons, for the most part, rejected Christ after my grandmother died. My mother, as well as my older brother, have rejected Christ. I wonder if this is will happen to me too, that putting up a pretense of faith is for all intents and purposes, "hereditary"...

and through these treacherous thoughts this is one of the verses that appears in my mind:

"The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."
Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV

I've heard this verse spoken zillions of times and I think it's just so simple and powerful. There is no doubt in my mind nor heart that Christ died for us; that the saving power of His grace is all we need and He will never leave our side. Now that I'm writing this I guess this can be related to the Spiritual Disciplines book. If you guys don't have it,get it...it's pretty straightforward and really puts things in the proper perspective. Anyway, there's this part where Whitney talks about why believers should memorize Scripture--without the Word of God stored in our hearts, how can we know what He wants us to do when a Bible isn't nearby? Verses are our weapons against Satan, against the daily temptations and thoughts he puts into our minds. The Holy Spirit will work in us and bring verses to mind that will help us through our problems. This verse was especially comforting to me because it says "do not be discouraged"....a reminder of perseverance against the world, and the trust that I put into the truth of Christ.

Uncompromising

Isaiah 40:28-31

28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.



So this week I watched the the Obama inauguration in school and it started off with the music and the invocation prayer and stuff. Normally I'm not really an avid follower of politics or anything but I guess I paid more attention because the gay community is all in uproar about Warren being picked to deliver the invocation. Anyways so at the end I was a little disappointed (esp. after watching the Brittany McComb video)because Warren seemed a little.....eh. He didn't preach Christ or eternal life; most of his speech was pretty much passive and vague enough to satisfy pretty much everyone. The point of me saying this is not to criticize the guy, but I guess I feel sort of responsible. This is really cheesy I know, but some day the kids in my grade are all going to be grown up and we're going to be leading America. Most of the time I feel like a lot of the Christian youth I meet are too passive, too willing to give up their beliefs in exchange for outward acceptance. Either that or I guess we kind of have a desensitized view on the fragile state of life and the immense gift Christ offers us. You probably can't compare a speech made up by a high school valedictorian to a speech read at the inauguration of the first black President (with millions watching), and certainly there is a lot of pressure to avoid controversy...but still, I think values should still stand, regardless. There seems to be a fine line between being tactful about evangelism and compromising the message of Christ to the point where you only skim the very surface and never actually get to the heart of Scripture at all. haha...I seem to be getting sidetracked. Anyways, I just feel as someone who is starting to get older I should try harder to examine my life and make sure that I'm not compromising anything. In the end I will only face God's judgment. My favorite verses of that passage are the last two; even though I may stumble or grow weak, the Lord will renew me. His strength is going to be what will carry me through, what will help me lead an uncompromised life, a life for Christ.

Psalm 119

1 [a] Blessed are they whose ways are blameless,
who walk according to the law of the LORD.

2 Blessed are they who keep his statutes
and seek him with all their heart.

3 They do nothing wrong;
they walk in his ways.

4 You have laid down precepts
that are to be fully obeyed.

5 Oh, that my ways were steadfast
in obeying your decrees!

6 Then I would not be put to shame
when I consider all your commands.

7 I will praise you with an upright heart
as I learn your righteous laws.

8 I will obey your decrees;
do not utterly forsake me.

This week has been so much work because of midterms so I had to try really hard to keep myself disciplined in Scripture and prayer. Most of the time whenever I struggle with keeping daily devotionals its because the night before I was working until way too late...and Scripture is always better when you can read it and think it through clearly. So not to be redundant here, but I think the retreat and Spiritual Disciplines book were blessings to my life because they remind me of my true purpose on this earth: to live like Christ would. So this psalm was really encouraging to me and I really hope that I can remain steadfast in Him.

So recently my parents opened up a wine store in new york and while my dad/brother work there all day, my mom will go help out after she gets off from her own job. So basically a lot of time now it's just me and my little brother at home because my parents don't get back till ten thirty or eleven, plus they work the weekends now too, and I realized all the things my parents do for me. At first I was really annoyed because my parents always come home exhausted and generally very irritated if the house was messed up when they came home. Also I guess it was a transition for my family life, since now I guess I'm responsible for taking care of my brother and the house more than usual, but I remembered a verse I memorized in my old church:

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Romans 12:9-10

Now honestly when this was going on I was kind of thinking a lot of selfish things because I felt like this huge load was dumped on me without being asked, and school basically takes up a good deal of my time. But, remembering the verse was a blessing, especially the last part. Honor one another ABOVE yourself. So even though at first I thought it was completely unfair that my parents were gone all the time, I realized that love isn't something that is measured in fairness. If it was, I really don't think we'd deserve Christ's love at all. I love my parents, and I love my brothers. We may not always show it through affection, but I am thankful God has blessed me with parents who work so hard to support their family. If Scripture tells us that we must honor one another above ourselves, then I should treat my family so. I really hope that God will help me shine His light in my own family, and that they can see Christ's love working through me, even if it starts just by me washing the dishes and making dinner.

Patience.

And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.

1 Thessalonians 5:14

Man okay so I'll be the first to admit that I have temper problems. Whenever something goes wrong or someone does something in a way I don't like, there's a good chance I'll snap at them or end up saying something that hurts their feelings. I don't know if alot of you guys have seen that side of me, not many things annoy me when I'm hanging out at retreats or worshipping. But it's the times where I'm not directly worshipping, praising, learning about God that I forget myself. That would pretty much leave my time at school, home, etc. It's how I've reacted since I was a little kid. Lacking in patience. But this verse is so good that I stuck it on the bulletin board in my room as a reminder, cuz as a follower of Christ it's important to do more than read the bible. Gotta live up to the Word, gotta live up to be like Christ, amen? So I guess the very last part of the verse is what speaks to me the most, be patient with everyone, no matter how they are or what they've done.