one thing

One thing have I asked of the LORD

   that will I seek after:

     that I may dwell in the house of the LORD

   all the days of my life

   to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD

  and to inquire in his temple. -Psalm 27:4 (ESV)

 

Life changes. One thing will always remain: my desire in my heart to seek God and His beauty. I have heard the saying "beauty is only skin deep." Society puts emphasis on what clothes we wear, how we look on the outside. I hate to confess this but sometimes I judge someone based upon what they're wearing instead of their personality.

 

I want God to change the way I see beauty: the way I am attracted to Him because His love is beautiful. The beauty of God never fades. That's what I want in life: to see His beauty radiated through me.

 

The last part of the verse says, "...to inquire in his temple." "Inquire" refers to cognitive thinking. It's not "empty knowledge." Following after God is not something that I can just breeze through. I must think about what I'm reading in His word.

 

Everything changes. God remains the same. That's the one thing I know. It's a sure foundation.

Fall Summit 2013

I had the privilege of returning to IWU for Summit. I have always loved Summit. What started out as a source of a "spiritual high" is now a source of encouragement.

 

Wherever I'm at in my walk with God, the speaker says exactly what I need to hear. This leads to conviction and to evaluate where I need to go in Him. Last night he talked about meaningful relationships and  how we are meant to live in community with others. He also gave an illustration of marbles and grapes. "Marbles" symbolize the people who tend to scatter and isolate themselves when they've been hurt, betrayed, etc. in their relationships. "Grapes"  symbolize the people who tend to develop deeper connections with others amidst difficulty, pain, hard times.

 

Today he spoke on sexual purity. Sex is God's idea. What begins in the mind, the body will eventually follow. I was convicted by that because I know what I think about needs to be daily surrendered to the things of God, not worldly things.

Miley Cyrus & her VMAs performance

Since I have read some comments about Miley Cyrus and her performance on the VMAs, I thought I would share my opinion.

 

Miley Cyrus is a young entertainer. It was an MTV awards show. What do you expect from MTV? Instead of complaining about something that is distasteful/trashy/inappropriate, look for something that will instill values you want to see/live by.

 

I think we view celebrities sometimes as "role models" instead of what they actually are: entertainers. They are in the entertainment industry. The key word being "entertainment." They are being paid for a service which is to bring us entertainment.

 

Media outlets (TV/radio/magazines, etc.) can sometimes paint an unrealistic/untruthful portrait of what celebrities are ACTUALLY like. We don't know them personally. Media tells us what to think about them. I don't look to celebrities as "role models." Rather, I look to family and friends for positive influences and being "role models."

 

On that note, Miley Cyrus was performing as an entertainer. That's all it was meant to be: entertainment.

be still

"Wait for the LORD,

       be strong and take heart

         and wait for the LORD." -Psalm 27:14

 

 

"Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him..." -Psalm 37:7

 

"He says, 'Be still, and know that I am God." -Psalm 46:10

 

According to these passages, I am commanded to be still and wait for God. How hard this is! I'm always in a rush but these words force me to examine my life and where I am in my relationship with Him.

 

Do I wait for Him? Am I still in His presence?

 

Or do I rush through my "quiet time" like one more item on my to do list?

 

God demands more of me. He wants all of me.

 

And He can't have it all if I am constantly rushing through my days thinking about what is "practical" rather than what is satisfying to my soul-the part of me that will live forever.

 

Also, I have experienced intimacy with God in the stillness, not in the busyness of my life. As Psalm 37:7 states, I am to be still before Him and wait patiently. It's in the quietness that I hear God speak to me.

spiritual nourishment

Just like I can't survive without food and water, I can't survive without the living word of God. So many days I go without even pausing to feed my soul with His word. I keep on living but I'm dying on the inside.

 

I recognize I'm desperate for His spirit to flood the deepest parts of me. I won't let myself take a step toward Him. My fear is paralyzing.

 

I fear change, intimacy, conviction.

 

To get past all this fear, I know I need the spiritual nourishment that only come from the word of God.

 

I not only need spiritual nourishment, but I must also ask God for receptivity: to respond to what He is trying to say to me in His word. I put into practice when God reveals what I must do. That leads beyond spiritual nourishment to spiritual action.

a life of believing God

I know I believe in God but do I truly, in the core of who I am, believe God?

I want my life to go beyond the surface of believing in God to believing God.

There is a distinct difference. Beth Moore explains in her devotional Believing God four (4) qualities (or motivations) of a life of believing God:

(1) Incomparable power

               Ephesians 1:19

                          "and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as       the  mighty strength."

                      Since I belong to God, His power lives in me and is executed when I believe that same power is always in me. I live in that power God gives to me.

(2) The pleasure of God

                Hebrews 11:6 (a)

                            "And without faith it is impossible to please God..."

                  Faith is essential for my journey as a follower of Christ. It is impossible for me to live a life of believing God without the existence of faith.

(3) Reward

                 Hebrews 11:6 (b)

                            "...because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

Seeking God follows faith. When I come before God in any form: prayer, meditation, solitude, journaling, I must believe He exists. Reward follows when I seek Him relentlessly. But do I? On a daily basis, do I make my number one priority to come before His presence, to seek His guidance, provision, direction, or anything else I might need that given day?

I know how I would answer that previous question and I can't honestly say that seeking God is my number one priority. I get caught up with my job and I have different priorities any given day. and if I don't feel like seeking Him or His heart, I won't. Simple. I need to be honest with myself before God can initiate any change.  God acts according to my level of faith which leads into the last motivation.

(4) God will often act according to our faith

                 Matthew 9:29

                         "Then he touched their eyes and said, 'according to your faith let it be done to you."

 

                 My level of faith influences how God will work in my life, others I am in contact with, and also my future.

 

At any time I can ask God to increase my faith.

In a more simplistic sense, faith is a quality of the fruit of the Spirit (Romans 10:17), and faith comes through hearing the Word of God (Luke 17:1-6)

 

Believing God verses believing in God will be credited to me as righteousness. My goal is to live a life of believing God.

recommended reading

Reading is one of my favorite things to do.

I have compiled a list of some of my favorite books:

Nonfiction:
*Crazy Love
*Forgotten God (both by Francis Chan)
*Boundaries
*Not a Fan
*Radical
*The Ragamuffin Gospel
*The Air I Breathe
*Jesus Calling (devotional)
*Rachel's Tears

Fiction:
*The Help
*Nineteen Minutes
*Safe Haven
*The Time Traveler's Wife
*The Book Thief
*To Kill a Mockingbird
*My Sister's Keeper

Most of the previous titles can be purchased through www.amazon.com

Happy reading! :-)