God's mercy

Found another point of encouragement from Exodus today, so I wanted to write it down on here. I love writing down things because later on down the road, I can look back on all of these encouraging things the Lord reveals, and remember my blessings. 

A quick blurb about Exodus 13: 

The Lord shares with Moses the importance of dedicating the firstborn to the Lord. This includes both animals and children. He wants Moses to tell His people that when their future posterity asks why they participate in such "rituals," His glorious deeds, miracles, and merciful love will be remembered throughout the generations.

Then something wonderful is said of the Lord:

Exodus 13: 17, 18:

"When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt." So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt armed for battle."

This is awesome because it reminded me that God knows exactly what we can handle. I wrote about equipping in an earlier entry, and this certainly ties in with the same idea. The Israelites were burdened, exhausted, despondent, and persecuted. The Lord KNEW that if He took them on the shorter route, they would feel discouraged and return to Egypt to slavery. Knowing this, and desiring freedom for His chosen people, the Lord took them on a longer route, never leaving them. 

God does the same thing for us each day. In a time of trial, the Lord knows which straw might "break the camels back," so to speak. The Lord does not give us trials to break us; rather, He gives us trials to strengthen us and teach us about perseverance, as well as continue to sanctify and refine us. 

As the old saying goes, the Lord does not give us more than He has equipped us to handle. No matter what the battle is for me, if I am not equipped, God will lead me (possibly the long way) around that battle because ultimately, He wants freedom for me. :-) 

What a merciful Savior. 

Matthew 11: 28-30: 

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

God will teach us what we need to know to get through the battles He sends.

1 Peter 1: 6-9

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls." 

Oh, Lord, I pray for us all to experience such joy over what our faith has given us: salvation. Thank You for leading us around things we cannot handle. Thank You for allowing us to go through the things that you are equipping us for. And thank You for the Holy Spirit, who resides in us always, giving us power. 

Accept the rags; Accept the MERCY

Isaiah 64:6:

"All of us have become like one who is unclean, 
       and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; 
       we all shrivel up like a leaf, 
       and like the wind our sins sweep us away."

BUT. . .

James 2:5: "Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?"

Romans 8:29-31: "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?"

Matthew 9:11-13: "When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

How encouraging. If you feel like you don't measure up, you're right. Fortunately, Christ came to preach and reach out to the sick. He came to "chill" with the sinners, untouchables, and flagrantly disliked peoples of this world. He came for you and He came for me. 

Christ wants us to have mercy on others as He has/had mercy on us. When asked how many times we are to forgive, Jesus tells His disciple 70 times 7. That's mercy. 

Best of all; GOD HAS GOTTEN ME THUS FAR. :-) 

And if God is for us, who can be against us? What can mortal man do to us? 

We are heirs

1 John 3:1-3: "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. {2} Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. {3} Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure."

Oh, how I love a good dictionary definition. So wonderful, so much more to think about. Christ cleanses us from our sins. He came so that His blood could wash over us. We have been purged; cleansed with hyssop. Christ makes us whiter than snow. 

I love how Christ encourages us. How He brings us "daily tidbits" of encouragement to keep us going despite our homesickness. 

Merriam-Webster online.

PURE:

1 a (1): unmixed with any other matter <pure gold> (2): free from dust, dirt, or taint <pure springwater> (3): spotless, stainlessb: free from harshness or roughness and being in tune —used of a musical tone cof a vowel : characterized by no appreciable alteration of articulation during utterance

Since we're going to be like Christ, we're going to be made pure "as He is pure" as the above verses state. The above definition says that we're "unmixed." God calls us to be in the world, not of it. Once we become His, we are no longer intermingled with the world; we stand out from our current day Sodom & Gomorrah. 
We're no longer "tainted" with sin. . .even though we continue committing it. That's a hard concept to understand, but it is so beautiful. Christ died ONCE for ALL of our sin. No sin is excluded. My sin today--WHITE. 
The definition also says, "free from harshness." This makes me think about the refiners fire that we are put through. Sanctification is a daily, life-long process. When we're made pure, there will be no rough edges, no stains, nothing. Just Christ.
3 a (1): free from what vitiates, weakens, or pollutes (2): containing nothing that does not properly belong b: free from moral fault or guilt c: marked by chastity : continent d (1): of pure blood and unmixed ancestry (2): homozygous in and breeding true for one or more characters e: ritually clean
I have to say the above definition might be my favorite. To be pure is to be "FREE from what vitates, weakens, or pollutes." We no longer have to be mastered by the sins that once held us in bondage. We can step out in LIBERTY . . .no longer made up of a polluted heart, soul, and mind. We are forgiven for our past pollution. 
Once Christ "gets ahold of us," things that do not belong (i.e. sin) are taken away from us. It's removed. 
WE ARE HEIRS. WE ARE OF UNMIXED BLOOD NO MATTER WHERE WE COME FROM, WHAT WE HAVE DONE, OR WHAT WE DO TOMORROW. What a great honor Christ has bestowed upon us. To be God's babies, to be His own brothers and sisters, to have the complete power of the Holy Spirit at all times. Wow. 
We are cleaned through the "ritual" of putting off our old self and putting on Christ. "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come!"
4: having exactly the talents or skills needed for a particular role pure shooter in basketball>
. . .and on a final note, because Christ has made us pure, we have the EXACT SKILLS WE NEED TO BE A CHILD OF GOD. The only "talent" we need is the ability to turn from our old self, turn to Christ, ask for forgiveness, ask for forgiveness, ask for forgiveness, ask for forgiveness. . . .etc. I say that so many times because even though we have Christ and cannot lose our salvation, we still sin. We still must ask for forgiveness. But God knows our hearts. He listens when we pray. 
GOD EQUIPS US. 

God equips the "useless" and the weak

As of recently, I've begun studying Exodus. It's a great book with a multitude of many applicable "stories" that I like reading over and over. Exodus is full of a fight for freedom, a fight against persecutions and hard hearts, and an example of how God will use the weak things of the world for His kingdom. 

In Exodus 4, Moses and God are conversing. Moses is hanging back, seemingly trying to explain to God why he is "not right" for the job the the LORD has given him. 

God shows Moses some awesome sigs he will give Pharaoah (a leprous hand, a staff that turns into a snake), but Moses says, 

Ex. 4:10: "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." 

This is applicable in my life because I know that I can totally "pull a Moses" with God. God shows me something that He wants me to step out in faith for. . .and I say, "REALLY? Me? Why? YOU sure? Give some amazing sign! . . . .(God gives sign). . . .That wasn't good enough, one more please?" 

God tells Moses, (me paraphrasing) "I gave you your mouth, I gave you your tongue, I give you your speech! If I call you, won't I give you what you need?" 

God tells Moses that He will "teach him what to say." God can do this for me too, I know. He has done it before. Pastors, evangelistic workers, etc. all pray that "not my voice, but the voice of the Holy Spirit" be heard when they go out or preach. This is what I want for my life, but it is easier said than done. Sometimes, I fail to trust that God can use me. 

I want to give God a list of reasons about why I am not good enough:

1. I'm too young. But God says. . . . 

       1 Tim. 4:12: "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example

       for the believers in speech, in life, in  love, in faith and in purity."

2. I'm not good enough. But God says. . . .

       Eph. 2:10: "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which

       God prepared in advance for us to do."

3. I'm too weak. But God says. . . .

       1 Cor. 1:27: "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the

       weak things of the world to shame the strong."

4. I'm too exhausted. But God says. . . .

       2 Cor. 12:9: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. . ."

I could go on with my list of excuses. There are plenty. Satan knows them, and he will use them against me. I work against myself, Satan works against me. The amazing thing is that even when I offer up to God my list of excuses, He STILL PURSUES ME, HE STILL LOVES ME, AND HE STILL USES ME. 

God still used Moses. Despite Moses' blatant request that God appoint someone else, God suggests Aaron, Moses' brother. Here is what God said about how the two men would reach Pharaoh:

Ex. 4:15, 16: "You shall speak to him (Aaron) and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him."

Even in Moses' desire to NOT be appointed, God still chooses to use him. The most amazing thing I've saved for last. . . .

"What about you brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and his heart will be glad when he sees you." (v. 14)

What did God just say? He said that Aaron was ALREADY ON HIS WAY. 

God knew what Moses was thinking before He even said it aloud. He knew that Aaron would have to come into the picture. He knew that Moses would offer those excuses of not being good enough. Even though God knew that Moses wasn't going to be completely obedient right away, He STILL wanted to use him. And use Moses He did. 

Lord, I pray that you will help me to "strengthen my feeble arms and weak knees. And make level paths for my feet so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed" (Heb. 12:12, 13).

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Expectations

Since I'm about to enter good ol' "Chapter Eight" in my life, I felt that it was time to share some "expectations" for my new chapter. 

Honestly, I have NO IDEA what's going to happen. I was talking to someone yesterday about it and I remember saying that the year is unpredictable because there are so many variables. However, I am excited to see how the Lord grows in me, changes my heart, and leads me through the valleys that are BOUND to come. God didn't say "if the storms come;" He said "WHEN the storms come." 

So here are some things I "expect":

1. To be pushed out of my comfort zone. It's a new job, I am at a loss what I will actually wind up doing. Since I cannot be prepared, the Lord has to prepare ME.

2. To make mistakes. There are going to be so many, but I pray that the Lord will allow me to work through the mistakes, to be honest about making them, and to simply change after making them. Like we learn in school, if one intervention doesn't work, then you try 20 more before you make a referral. I think that this also applies to lots of other things. . .the old "if you don't succeed at first, try, try again." 

3. To persevere until I am exhausted. When I went on my second SBP (Summer Beach Project), the overall theme was: "Exhausted?" I have shirts that say that! (People have actually tried to buy these off my back--they think it's just talking about a lack of sleep, which is humorous!) The basis for this theme is that we should be EXHAUSTED when our lives are over. . .that we should fall across the "finish line" and not be able to catch our breath. In a race, all runners run to receive the crown of glory. . .! When I am exhausted, I expect that the power of the Lord WILL fill me up. God is the Living Water. We definitely need water more than once if we are running a marathon. It's a constant filling up, an abundant filling up, a continual project for the Lord. I definitely need it.

4. To roll with the punches. Nothing in life ever goes as planned. Changes and unexpected events come up. . .so it is best to expect that things will not always go as planned. A lesson I might think is GREAT might totally bomb. . .and that's when I have to try again another way.

5. To experience more of God; experience God differently. The longer we walk with God, the more dynamic our relationship becomes. Just like in any relationship, as you change, so does the relationship. Since God is in charge of changing me, I just know some new and exciting things will happen.

6. To make new friends; influence new people. In any environment, we are given the opportunity to impact people. I pray that I will be positive, forgiving, understanding, and compassionate in my new environment. 

7. For current friends to "move on." At some point in this chapter, I have several people I love that will be going elsewhere. That will be a big change, but those people will remain in my heart no matter where they go. 

8. TO CONTINUE THIS PROCESS OF SANCTIFICATION. I reality, I could've just listed this one and cut the whole blog short, tehe. I was made a new creation in Christ almost 8 years ago. I am not turning back, I will not be conquered by anything. If God is for us, then who can be against us? 

It's going to be a great chapter! 

2 Cor. 5: 17

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

Heb. 13: 12, 13

"So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured."

Take me outside the camp, Oh Lord. 

It's July!

Where has the summer gone? Why yes, that's an interesting question. I realized that it was July on July 2nd. . .I still thought we were in June. Between the Lord, grad classes, time with friends, and the new job, the days are busy, thus making them speed by! 

I know that what I am about to say might sound weird, but I guess we all have our quirks. :-) When I got the keys to my classroom on Monday, I was freakishly excited. One of my best friends was with me and she is so willing to come and help me move everything in. . .it's amazing how much everyone wants to help. That's a glimpse of the Jesus I see in them. 

That's not the weird part, but my heart overflows with love for people, so I couldn't stop myself from digressing for a minute. The weird part is that yesterday I went to my classroom alone and I just cried. I was so happy to be there, to be able to set things up, to be able to be a part of VMS. God made my heart melt again the way He did when I went to observe the classroom for the very first time during the spring. My eyes welled up as I thought about where each of my students come from; some from loving families (I pray!), and some from a hard youth much like mine. Wow. God is entrusting me with such treasures. These aren't the kind of treasures that are buried in a field, but in a sense, these students have been somewhat "buried." I am not a perfect teacher or person, I do not have all the answers, and I know that I'm going to make millions of errors this year (and each day!!), but I just pray that like the man who sacrificed it all for that field, that I would sacrifice myself and my will each day I go to work so that God can equip me, the fallen. He truly will have to equip me. . .there is no way I could even begin to do this without the Lord.

I reviewed IEP's and read background history and current performance information. . .I cried some more. If God places opportunities for me to share my heart and my faith with my co-workers and students, I pray that His words, not my own, will exit this earthly body's mouth. . .and that they would flow and be like milk and honey, given freely. 

I have several other best friends who are teachers (some may be reading this now!), and they are certainly feeling similar things about the year, their kids, their classrooms, etc. I am praying for ALL of us that the Lord Almighty would lead our instruction, our speech, and our hearts. To think of everyone I know, out there laboring beside me in their given placements (work, school, even home!) gets me all excited.

At church, we've been studying about the Great Commission during Sunday school. It's been a great review session, and it's been very encouraging. We get to talk amongst ourselves at our tables. . .and I know that everyone in that room is so wonderful and special. . .they are out there shining little rays of Jesus on everyone they meet. I am so excited for that. Jesus is applicable in everyone's lives and I feel like I see that everyday because we are all SO different. . .we just have that One Person in common. It's like, Jesus is the glue that holds our worlds together. 

2 Timothy 2: 1-7:

 1You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. 3Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer. 5Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules. 6The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. 7Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.