I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, 'You are my servant'; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:9-10
You know, when I first picked this verse to memorize, it excited me and made me feel loved. God personally chose ME, searched for ME, loved ME. It was the first part of these verses that I was really focusing on. Then the week happened. I'm sure you notice my lack of blogging.
Well, I turned into a worrywort. I was worrying about everything that was going on in my life because I didn't know how to control anything. I was getting advice from people I respect, but it was all conflicting advice. I felt horrible. It was then that I noticed the second part of the scripture...
1) "...do not fear, for I am with you..." How often do I fear because I think I am alone and have to do everything on my own. Sure, I'll pray to God for other people. I'll even throw up that desperate cry for help, but do I believe? do I stop fearing and know that God is with me? Today I did just that. I realized I was acting like a caged animal and I took a step back and just watched myself. I thought, 'this is not what the scripture says. It says that I am not to fear, yet I'm running scared. why? because I am trying to be God.' Today, I let go and fell into His arms. I always wondered what people meant when they said they felt like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders, because their problems were still very present! Likewise, my problems are also still present, and I currently have no solution, but He does and I am trusting Him to lead me, and so I do not fear.
2) "...do not be dismayed, for I am your God..." wow! Not only is He all powerful, but He is MINE. He is on MY side! so I don't have to fear or be sad! This part of the scripture makes me feel safe. It's like I can let all my walls and shields down. I can be vulnerable before Him because He is for me and is here to take care of me. I don't have to pretend everything is ok, nor do I have to make something sound worse so I can get attention. I can be who He created me to be...in the arms of His love.
3) "...I will strengthen you..." this part really hit home. I have been feeling zapped spiritually. I have been feeling as though I can not resist any of the devil's trick, as well as feeling very tired physically. Yet I keep running across these verses about strength. I think God is trying to tell me that He will give me the strength I need to endure. Again, I just need to plug into Him. Until I am fully charged, He will "help me and uphold me with his righteous right hand." God never leaves us to go it alone. He is always there to encourage us and minister to our needs. He knows when we have strength and when we are depleted. He knows when to hold on to the back of the bike, as we learn to ride, and when to let it go and let us peddle on our own. He also is there to catch us right before we hit the ground and skin our knee.
These verses have been just what I needed these two weeks, even though it took me a week to even realize that, but I am thankful for them and for the reminders that I am chosen, loved, protected, joy-filled, strengthened, and upheld...and you are too.
Now we need to live it.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
March 1 - 15 Scripture
I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, 'You are my servant'; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:9-10
This is a longer verse then the others I have chosen, but I think it has an important message, one that I need to remember. I look forward to breaking it apart this month :)
Hope all of you are memorizing too!
This is a longer verse then the others I have chosen, but I think it has an important message, one that I need to remember. I look forward to breaking it apart this month :)
Hope all of you are memorizing too!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Desire
"My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song."
When is the last time your heart 'leapt for joy' over anything? Over God? This whole verse is telling us how God is going to take care of us, yet I would venture to guess that many of us look at it and think,'hmmm, that's nice.' I wonder if our response would be the same to a person who came and knocked on our door and told us that we would never have to worry about anything again because he would always be there to take care of us...and all we had to do it trust.
I think most of us would be jumping for joy, screaming out our thanks and telling everyone we knew. In fact, we wouldn't even have to go and tell people cause our faces would shine so brightly that everyone else would want to know our secret.
So, if that is the case, and this is such a wonderful gift, why aren't our hearts jumping for joy? I believe it all has to do with desire.
When we are in close communication with God, the desires of our hearts are pure and God grants them to us. Likewise, when we are far from God, he gives us over to the desires of our hearts (Rom 1:24; Rom 7:18).
Much like Adam and Eve in the garden - they had the opportunity to follow God and be granted the desires of their hearts, and leap for joy, or be given over to the desires of their heart.
That phrase, 'given over', sounds much like allowing the devil to do with us as he will. I have experienced some of this in my own life recently. I wanted something for myself - not a 'bad' thing, but something that took a lot of my focus from God. And you know what happened? God allowed me to follow my desire and it didn't pan out. I was feeling horrible and quite honestly, that is all I wanted to write about today. I didn't want to admit that I chose to follow my way instead of God's and that is why I got hurt, but it is what happened.
God must be the center of my life DAILY. I see that I can't go a moment without Him and allow myself to be swept away. I want to know that heart's joy all the time and not just in spurts.
So again, I choose to lay down my desires and follow Him.
When is the last time your heart 'leapt for joy' over anything? Over God? This whole verse is telling us how God is going to take care of us, yet I would venture to guess that many of us look at it and think,'hmmm, that's nice.' I wonder if our response would be the same to a person who came and knocked on our door and told us that we would never have to worry about anything again because he would always be there to take care of us...and all we had to do it trust.
I think most of us would be jumping for joy, screaming out our thanks and telling everyone we knew. In fact, we wouldn't even have to go and tell people cause our faces would shine so brightly that everyone else would want to know our secret.
So, if that is the case, and this is such a wonderful gift, why aren't our hearts jumping for joy? I believe it all has to do with desire.
When we are in close communication with God, the desires of our hearts are pure and God grants them to us. Likewise, when we are far from God, he gives us over to the desires of our hearts (Rom 1:24; Rom 7:18).
Much like Adam and Eve in the garden - they had the opportunity to follow God and be granted the desires of their hearts, and leap for joy, or be given over to the desires of their heart.
That phrase, 'given over', sounds much like allowing the devil to do with us as he will. I have experienced some of this in my own life recently. I wanted something for myself - not a 'bad' thing, but something that took a lot of my focus from God. And you know what happened? God allowed me to follow my desire and it didn't pan out. I was feeling horrible and quite honestly, that is all I wanted to write about today. I didn't want to admit that I chose to follow my way instead of God's and that is why I got hurt, but it is what happened.
God must be the center of my life DAILY. I see that I can't go a moment without Him and allow myself to be swept away. I want to know that heart's joy all the time and not just in spurts.
So again, I choose to lay down my desires and follow Him.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Trust
NIV: my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.
MSG: He proved he's on my side; I've thrown my lot in with him.
AMP: my heart trusts in, relies on, and confidently leans on Him, and I am helped;
KJV: my heart trusted in him, and I am helped:
I often like to compare different versions of scripture so I can get a better understanding of what I am reading. While the KJV is sometimes harder to understand, I like to use it as my baseline. I feel it is the most 'unpolluted' by our common language.
Looking at the next part of the verse, I notice that the KJV states 'my heart trusted' (past tense / done) and 'I am helped' (present tense). The other three versions all make the tenses agree, but I think they kinda miss the point in doing that.
You see, my heart need only trust once; but I am helped forever...daily...moment-by-moment. It is not something that has to happen in conjunction each day. I think this is where a lot of people get confused.
They are constantly going up to the alter and re-committing their lives to Jesus, convinced that is the only way Jesus can/will forgive them. Yet, that is the thing that makes Christianity so different from all other religions. We don't have to do anything except 'trust' and as a result, many things change.
Think of your child (such wonderful examples!). What does he/she have to do to win your love? Nothing, right? Yet, he/she has been horrible to you and doesn't feel like they deserve your love, so they try and do things to please you, when all you want to do is have them 'trust you love.' You know that when they truly believe you love them, regardless of what they have done, he/she will be helped; forever and always. It is not until that trust occurs that anything else can take place.
I believe that Jesus wants that for us. He wants to help us, to guide us, to love us; but we are so convinced that it is not that easy and we must do something more to 'earn' His love. Eph 2:8 tells us that we are saved by grace, not our actions or works. I think it is really hard for most of us to believe it though. Why? Because we have reduced God to human terms.
There aren't any people who would give us such grace and we think the same of God (most times).
Yet, all we have to do is trust...so easy, yet so hard. I wonder what is keeping you from trusting Him with your whole heart and being helped...
MSG: He proved he's on my side; I've thrown my lot in with him.
AMP: my heart trusts in, relies on, and confidently leans on Him, and I am helped;
KJV: my heart trusted in him, and I am helped:
I often like to compare different versions of scripture so I can get a better understanding of what I am reading. While the KJV is sometimes harder to understand, I like to use it as my baseline. I feel it is the most 'unpolluted' by our common language.
Looking at the next part of the verse, I notice that the KJV states 'my heart trusted' (past tense / done) and 'I am helped' (present tense). The other three versions all make the tenses agree, but I think they kinda miss the point in doing that.
You see, my heart need only trust once; but I am helped forever...daily...moment-by-moment. It is not something that has to happen in conjunction each day. I think this is where a lot of people get confused.
They are constantly going up to the alter and re-committing their lives to Jesus, convinced that is the only way Jesus can/will forgive them. Yet, that is the thing that makes Christianity so different from all other religions. We don't have to do anything except 'trust' and as a result, many things change.
Think of your child (such wonderful examples!). What does he/she have to do to win your love? Nothing, right? Yet, he/she has been horrible to you and doesn't feel like they deserve your love, so they try and do things to please you, when all you want to do is have them 'trust you love.' You know that when they truly believe you love them, regardless of what they have done, he/she will be helped; forever and always. It is not until that trust occurs that anything else can take place.
I believe that Jesus wants that for us. He wants to help us, to guide us, to love us; but we are so convinced that it is not that easy and we must do something more to 'earn' His love. Eph 2:8 tells us that we are saved by grace, not our actions or works. I think it is really hard for most of us to believe it though. Why? Because we have reduced God to human terms.
There aren't any people who would give us such grace and we think the same of God (most times).
Yet, all we have to do is trust...so easy, yet so hard. I wonder what is keeping you from trusting Him with your whole heart and being helped...
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Strength
"The LORD is my strength and my shield..."
Breaking this verse apart, I look at this first line and what pops out at me is the word 'strength'. Why? I think it is because I have always felt that I have to be strong; that I have to prove myself in all areas - mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional.
When I read the LORD is my strength, I feel like I can relax. He is like my body guard, but He isn't just protecting me, He is guiding me and teaching me.
I don't have to prove anything to Him. I don't have to pretend I understand everything the moment it is spoken. I don't have to hide my pain. He holds up His shield and allows me to use His strength; allows me to lean on Him.
More often then not, I still try to stand on my own two feet, but the older I get, the more I realize that is just too hard.
So, I lean on my Savior, and as I lean in, I hear Him talking. I can't hear Him when I stand so far away, but when I allow Him to be my strength and shield, I discover more than power, I discover His love and plans for me.
Breaking this verse apart, I look at this first line and what pops out at me is the word 'strength'. Why? I think it is because I have always felt that I have to be strong; that I have to prove myself in all areas - mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional.
When I read the LORD is my strength, I feel like I can relax. He is like my body guard, but He isn't just protecting me, He is guiding me and teaching me.
I don't have to prove anything to Him. I don't have to pretend I understand everything the moment it is spoken. I don't have to hide my pain. He holds up His shield and allows me to use His strength; allows me to lean on Him.
More often then not, I still try to stand on my own two feet, but the older I get, the more I realize that is just too hard.
So, I lean on my Savior, and as I lean in, I hear Him talking. I can't hear Him when I stand so far away, but when I allow Him to be my strength and shield, I discover more than power, I discover His love and plans for me.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Psalm 28:7 - February's Second Scripture
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. Psalm 28:7
Through out the rest of the month, I'll go on to dissect it and try and explain why I chose it. All I can say right now is it makes my heart smile :)
Through out the rest of the month, I'll go on to dissect it and try and explain why I chose it. All I can say right now is it makes my heart smile :)
1 Peter 1:13
Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.
Since I'm starting this blog in the second half of February, there won't be a lot mentioned about this scripture now, but it is what I chose to memorize for Feb 1 - 14 and did so successfully. I still have a lot of questions about it, but I will continue to pursue them on my own since I want to move on to the next scripture of the month.
If, after reading what this page is about, you decide you want to join, please do and feel free to comment too! I'd love to have some company on my journey!
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