Colossians 1:22 says:
"Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault."
This verse is really amazing. When I read it today, it blew me away.
"He has brought you into his own presence" This part of the verse isn't as amazing unless you realize at least a little bit how awesome, powerful, holy, and righteous our God is! It's impossible to fully understand how incredible God is, but when you have at least a little glimpse of his amazing power, it's crazy to think about this part of the verse.
"you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault"!!!!!! The verse before this one talks about how before these people were far away from God and had evil thoughts and actions, but now they stand before God without a single fault! This is a great example of God's incredible grace that we don't deserve. How awesome!!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Good books to read...
Good books for guys 13 and up: "Young Man in the Mirror" by Pat Morley and "How to Ruin Your Life by 40" by Steve Farrar. They are about 130 pages and discuss guy stuff and how to live a Christian life in today's world. "Jesus Freaks" by DC Talk is a collection of short stories about Christians, ancient and modern day, who were martyred for their faith. It is a good read and very challenging.
Good books for anyone liking fiction: I have a number of books by Stephen Lawhead. He writes middle ages type fiction (think Lord of the Rings, but easier to read), sci-fi, and historical fiction. Some of his books are not too long, others are over 800 pages. They are all very allegorical about the Christian faith, and are often riveting and hard to put down. Ask me about these if you like exciting stories and I can loan some to you.
I'll stop for now...
Monday, July 20, 2009
In Christ
I know this is from several days ago, but in Galatians 6 there were 2 verses that stuck out to me. First was verse 14:
"14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."
I like this verse, because it is a good reminder to me. Except for Christ, I have nothing worthwhile to boast about. I could achieve all these high standings and get acknowledged by all sorts of people, but it is still not really worthwhile. Maybe it'll seem worthwhile to people on earth, but when I get to heaven, it will no longer matter. What matters is my walk with God and if I am being faithful to Him.
The second verse that stuck out to me was verse 17:
"17 Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus."
This one is really encouraging. It's great to know that we "bear... the marks of Jesus". No other marks are more powerful or more meaningful!! The New Living Translation says "For I bear on my body the scars that show I belong to Jesus." As Christians, we belong to the Creator of the universe! How awesome is that!
"14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."
I like this verse, because it is a good reminder to me. Except for Christ, I have nothing worthwhile to boast about. I could achieve all these high standings and get acknowledged by all sorts of people, but it is still not really worthwhile. Maybe it'll seem worthwhile to people on earth, but when I get to heaven, it will no longer matter. What matters is my walk with God and if I am being faithful to Him.
The second verse that stuck out to me was verse 17:
"17 Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus."
This one is really encouraging. It's great to know that we "bear... the marks of Jesus". No other marks are more powerful or more meaningful!! The New Living Translation says "For I bear on my body the scars that show I belong to Jesus." As Christians, we belong to the Creator of the universe! How awesome is that!
Friday, July 17, 2009
July 16, 2009 Galatians 5
Posted by the 6th & 7th grade girls small group: Today we were together as a small group and in doing our devotions we were again reminded in this chapter to "love your neighbor as yourself." Thinking and talking about this scripture, what that looks like in our lives and how we can carry it out this summer, we put together a list of what we plan to do. The group thought it would be a good idea to also post it on the blog, just in case it prompts others to use any of these examples to serve others this summer.
Volunteer at church on Sunday in the nursery.
Everytime you walk into a store, into church, at home, hold the door open for the person/people coming in after you.
Help clean up around your house, ask Mom or Dad what it is you can do for them to make their day easier
Offer to do your siblings chores
Volunteer this summer and help out the two summer camps at McBIC.
Be Blessed!
Tabi, Kris, Madeline, Danielle, Mandy and Megan (6th & 7th grade small group)
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Be Prepared
First, I just wanted to say that I would love to see someone else post something :) It doesn't need to be anything profound... just what God is putting on your heart.
Secondly, in 2 Timothy 4, verse 2 stuck out to me:
"2 Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching."
I found it interesting that he said "whether the time is favorable or not". That reminded me that sometimes God's time table is different than ours, so we always need to be prepared to share the gospel whether we are sitting in church, in school/work, or just walking along the street. We need to be prepared for whatever comes our way. We're not always going to know when or where things are going to happen.
Secondly, in 2 Timothy 4, verse 2 stuck out to me:
"2 Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching."
I found it interesting that he said "whether the time is favorable or not". That reminded me that sometimes God's time table is different than ours, so we always need to be prepared to share the gospel whether we are sitting in church, in school/work, or just walking along the street. We need to be prepared for whatever comes our way. We're not always going to know when or where things are going to happen.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Questions
I had some questions about 1 Timothy 5. First, it seemed to be that verses 11-12 and 14 contradicted each other:
"11 As for younger widows, do not put them on such a list. For when their sensual desires overcome their dedication to Christ, they want to marry. 12 Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge."
"14 So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander."
It might seem like a weird verse to be asking about, but I was just confused because these verses didn't seem to match up.
Also, I didn't really understand what verse 22a was saying.
"22 Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands" It doesn't seem to go with the second part of the verse "and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure."
Anyway, if anyone has any thoughts let me know.
"11 As for younger widows, do not put them on such a list. For when their sensual desires overcome their dedication to Christ, they want to marry. 12 Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge."
"14 So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander."
It might seem like a weird verse to be asking about, but I was just confused because these verses didn't seem to match up.
Also, I didn't really understand what verse 22a was saying.
"22 Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands" It doesn't seem to go with the second part of the verse "and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure."
Anyway, if anyone has any thoughts let me know.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Someone who understands
Something that always stands out to me in the story of Jesus is that Jesus:
-was hated by the Pharisees
-betrayed by Judas
-denied by Peter
-left alone by his disciples when Jesus needed them most (26:65-68)
-unjustly accused
-beaten
-mocked
-seperated from his Father (27:46)
-killed for something He didn't do
Many of these things we have experienced in our own lives- betrayal, loneliness, being mocked to name a few. We all experiece these things in one form or another. The thing is that we have a God that does not just watch us suffer, but who understands what we are going through and has felt it Himself. He knows what we feel and walks through it with us. He shows us how to find joy and victory like He had in the resurrection! How awesome is that?
-was hated by the Pharisees
-betrayed by Judas
-denied by Peter
-left alone by his disciples when Jesus needed them most (26:65-68)
-unjustly accused
-beaten
-mocked
-seperated from his Father (27:46)
-killed for something He didn't do
Many of these things we have experienced in our own lives- betrayal, loneliness, being mocked to name a few. We all experiece these things in one form or another. The thing is that we have a God that does not just watch us suffer, but who understands what we are going through and has felt it Himself. He knows what we feel and walks through it with us. He shows us how to find joy and victory like He had in the resurrection! How awesome is that?
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