Hope

The word hope has been coming to my mind a lot lately. For some reason I usually think of hope as a somewhat passive action. I wait by quietly hoping that something will happen. I hope that my circumstances will change soon.  I am nervous and hope everything is going to turn out OK.  

I began thinking that hope is not passive but it is extremely powerful because God is a God of hope. Hope allows us to be filled with joy and peace while everything around us may be uncertain and scary. Hope helps us persevere and endure through hard times. Hope enables us to be encouraged and encourage others. Hope allows us to take risks with great faith.

 I pray that I can live a life overflowing with hope!

Motions

So I don't really like posting a blog that is not my own. But this morning, I heard this song on the radio by Matthew West. I absolutely loved the lyrics. I will let the words speak for themselves. 

This might hurt, it's not safe
But I know that I've gotta make a change
I don't care if I break,
At least I'll be feeling something
'Cause just okay is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of life

I don't wanna go through the motions
I don't wanna go one more day
without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,
"What if I had given everything,
instead of going through the motions?"

No regrets, not this time
I'm gonna let my heart defeat my mind
Let Your love make me whole
I think I'm finally feeling something
'Cause just okay is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of this life

'Cause I don't wanna go through the motions
I don't wanna go one more day
without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,
"What if I had given everything,
instead of going through the motions?"

Actions

So lately I have thinking about my own selfishness.  As I think about combating selfishness the word love comes to mind. But then I started thinking about how love truly manifests itself. I realized here is where the hard part comes in. It is easy to say that I love people but do I really always show love? Do I really love all people? 

“Is Jesus acting in our hearts to reach out to the person who isn’t like us – the oppressed, the poor, the unchurched – and to humble ourselves, give of our money, build our communities in love, give our time, our creativity, get on our knees before our enemies in humility, treating them as Scripture says, as people who are more important than we are?” – Donald Miller

 I pray that love will not just be a word in my life but continual actions. Actions filled with forgiveness, mercy, and justice.  Actions that don’t care if anyone else is looking. Actions that see no bounds, no barriers. Actions that aren’t afraid of looking foolish. Actions that take risks.  

You've heard it a million times - actions speak louder than words. So go out there show love!

Do Not Lose Heart

In years past, I like so many others have made goals or resolutions for the new year. I often have the common resolutions - eat healthy, exercise more, etc. In January, I start off strong and then month by month my motivation and determination slowly begin to fade. 

I began to relate this to my spiritual life. God has a specific purpose for each and everyone one of us. He calls us to ministry and to be ministers on a daily basis.  When God first convicts, calls, or shows me something - I am deliberate! I am excited! I am consistent! Unfortunately these feelings fade - I become weary. I become tired. I become frustrated. Somewhere along the way I take my eyes off of Jesus. I do not live with the same resolute and determination that I had in the beginning. 

Since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen.  II Corinthian 4:1; 16-18

I pray that I will not lose heart and that I will stay deliberate, excited, and consistent in all the God has called me to do. 

God's Comfort

The Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. II Corinthians 1:3-4

No matter what trials, troubles, or stresses we are going through - God is there to comfort us. When people let us down - God is there to comfort us. When we feel all alone - God is there to comfort us. 

I know this truth in my head but it is sometimes difficult for me to always feel and experience God's comfort. I realized that this is hard for me because God is not always the first one I go to when I need comfort. I run to people or comforts of this world. Instead, I need to run to God first with my hurts and my troubles. He is faithful, he is the only one that can provide ultimate comfort in difficult situations.  

I sometimes forget the end of theses verses. God is our ultimate comfort but we should not neglect comforting those around us. When we feel true comfort from God,  that comfort should be a natural overflow of our heart impacting those around us.  

So is God the first one I run to when I need comfort? Does comfort overflow out of my heart, helping others? I pray that comfort will become more evident in my life day by day.  

Love without Stopping

This entry is somewhat similar to my previous blog. So I apologize for any repetitiveness but this has been on my heart lately.

Often I struggle with knowing God's will for my life. I pray that God will show me his will for my future and wait for the "next big thing" he is calling me to do. I find myself getting hung up on knowing the exact will of God that I miss all of the daily things that God is calling me to do. 

As I read the Bible, God clearly shows me how I should live everyday and how should I interact with people on a daily basis. I love Jesus' words in Matthew 25:35-36; 40:

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. . . I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you do for me.  

It is recently becoming more and more clear to me. This is what God is calling me to do. There is so much hurting, suffering, and need all around me. I need to act instead of ignoring. I need to love instead of being selfish. I need to leap out in faith instead of standing still. 

Yes, I continue to pray daily for God's will in my life. God continues to be faithful in directing my paths is some very specific ways. But I must continue to walk daily with God and not miss the "small" things he puts in my path. Sometimes the smallest acts of kindness can make the biggest difference! I need to go out there and Love without Stopping!

Waiting

Lately, I have started to realize that much of my life has been wasted in waiting. Waiting is not always a bad thing, The Bible tell us to wait on the the Lord. But for me waiting often gets in the way of doing the things that God has called me to do. I wait for all of the right doors to be opened. I wait for everything to line up and be "perfect." 

I often feel like I don't know what God wants me to do in situations. I sometimes live in fear of doing the wrong thing or making the wrong decision. So instead of acting - I wait. Instead of going - I wait. Instead of obeying -  I wait.  

Much of my waiting is simply a lack of faith. If God only allowed situations in my life that were risk free, I would become faith free. Instead of always waiting, I want to live a life obeying God, taking risks and allowing God to work in mighty and incomprehensible ways.