Can You Fathom This?

Today is a lovely day. For the first time in weeks, I have nowhere to go. I have things to do, but they are not tedious nor are they boring.
I am preparing several themed testimonies, Bible lessons and Bible studies. It’s marvelous and maybe a little nerve-wracking. And as I was reading Scripture, I realized that it has been quite some time since I have been able to justify typing out a blog post here on ako strom.

But today is the day that I will once again return to the keyboard in hopes of encouraging and inspiring a deeper love and desire for God in YOU.

Today’s word comes from Isaiah 44. 

I want to focus on something in verses 21-28, but we need to back up a few verses before because Isaiah says, “Remember these things, O Jacob.” at the beginning of verse 21.

So back up and hear first in verses 6-8 that God is the ONLY God, and then in verses 9-21 how God looks on the foolishness of idols. Check it: He goes through the painstaking process that craftsmen at the time would use to create an object of worship. First, he must choose a tree, tend it, and watch it grow strong, then he cuts it and begins to use it. Part of it he’ll use to make a fire for his every-day needs like baking or warmth. Then he’ll take the rest and carve it into an idol and fall down before it saying, “Deliver me! For you are my god.”

Now, we look at that and go, Wow. Stupid. Who would do that?
But read on and God says that those who worship in such a way have been blinded, so they can’t see the stupidness of what they do. And their hearts lack the discernment to say, “this makes no sense” because they too are darkened.
Verse 20 says, “he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand.”

I know that in American culture, it is not so common to walk into a home and see a hand-carved idol on an altar to be worshipped as it is in other cultures, but we have still made things our idols. An idol is merely something we look to for assurance, rescue, security instead of God.
For some it’s a roof over our heads and a good job. Maybe it’s being accepted in an elite group of people. Maybe it’s having a boyfriend/girlfriend  or husband/wife. Maybe it's pleasure. Anything we put as more important than God is an idol.

The thing that sticks out to me personally, is that these people who were worshipping idols were darkened in their eyes and understanding. I, on the other hand am not. I am free to walk in the light because Jesus has paid the price for my life to be free from darkness and I have accepted that as His gift to me, however undeserving I may be.

Paul insists in Ephesians 4 that we are not to live as the unbelievers do, darkened in their understanding, separated from the life of God. We have put off the old and put on the new, which is created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. 

So, for children of God, any idol worship is true foolishness, because we DO have eyes to see.

Okay, that was a longer back-track than I anticipated, but hopefully it will put more weight into what comes next:
--------
Remember these things, O Jacob,
    and Israel, for you are my servant;
I formed you; you are my servant;
    O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me.

I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud
    and your sins like mist;
return to me, for I have redeemed you.

Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it;
    shout, O depths of the earth;
break forth into singing, O mountains,
    O forest, and every tree in it!
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
    and will be glorified in Israel.

Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,
    who formed you from the womb:
“I am the Lord, who made all things,
    who alone stretched out the heavens,
    who spread out the earth by myself,

who frustrates the signs of liars
    and makes fools of diviners,
who turns wise men back
    and makes their knowledge foolish,

who confirms the word of his servant
    and fulfills the counsel of his messengers,
who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited,‘
    and of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built,
    and I will raise up their ruins’;

who says to the deep, ‘Be dry;
    I will dry up your rivers’;

who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd,
    and he shall fulfill all my purpose’;
saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,‘
    and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’”
-------

God says,
“Look at who I am.
Look at my power.
Look at how I move in the earth, to make things happen.
Look at how human wisdom fails  in comparison to mine.
Look at how my promises come true.
Look at me as the one who made YOU.”

He also says,
“I want YOU to remember this foolishness I have just revealed to you about your worship of other things. Remember also who I am, how great I am.”

But he doesn’t stop with saying how stupid we have been and how awesome He is.
No. He says,

I see where you've forgotten me, but
I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN YOU!

I HAVE BLOTTED OUT YOUR TRANSGRESSIONS! 

RETURN TO ME, I HAVE REDEEMED YOU!

This elicits a shout of joy, a song of praise from all creation (including trees!!) to the God who has redeemed us.

One of my favorite parts, in fact, the initial reason I decided to post this passage is the second half of that rejoicing verse, where Isaiah writes, 

“For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and will be glorified in Israel.”

Another way it is written says,

“For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and will display His beauty in Israel.”

I got butterflies in my tummy when I read that. When God redeems us, it displays His beauty in us. His redemption makes us beautiful creatures. HIS REDEMPTION makes YOU a BEAUTIFUL CREATURE. Do you understand?! Can you fathom it?!

The fact that in my own strength I have nothing to offer but broken idol worship, and a heart bent on chasing after the world, and then he sees me and doesn’t leave me, No, He redeems me. He blots those things away and asks me to return to Him. Through redemption, He makes me a beautiful display of His glory.

Oh, such knowledge is too wonderful for me! How gracious and patient, loving and unfailing is my God.

Believers, children of God, I urge you to examine your hearts  along with me and find if you have placed something before God. Return to Him as your first love. Burn up those remaining idols with the rest of this world that you have already cast aside. Take Jesus. He is all you need. He displays His beauty, His glory in your life, and that brings all eyes that look at you to HIM. 

God wants to bring Himself glory through our redemption in a way that will bring unsure and seeking friends to the same true and only source of life. 

The question is, will we let Him?

Oh, I hope so.

Betkany

Overwhelmed In A Good Way

First from God through the Sons of Korah:
Psalm 84 (ESV)

How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD of hosts!
My soul longs, yes, faints
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
to the living God.

Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
ever singing your praise!

Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
As they go through the Valley of Baca
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
They go from strength to strength;
each one appears before God in Zion.

O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O God of Jacob!
Behold our shield, O God;
look on the face of your anointed!

For a day in your courts is better 
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For the Lord God is a sun and a shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
from those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts,
blessed is the one who trusts in you!

Second from me:

The Lord has been moving in my heart and I'm beginning to grasp this truth: 
"No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly". 

He has been turning my heart to make my prayer,
"I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness."

Honestly, I'm positively tickled by the fact that my favorite bird, the sparrow shows up in this chapter! 

Our God is so worthy of our trust and of our praise. He is a sun, bringing light to the world. He is a shield, bringing protection from the enemy. He sees me whole, holy and made perfect through the blood of Christ Jesus, his anointed. And because of Christ, I am brought near to the sinless, Almighty God. I am allowed into the courts of the living God. 

Whenever I meditate on these things, David's exclamation from Psalm 139 bursts from my heart, "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me!"

Knowing I can believe these truths found in the infallible Word of God makes any day a good day. 

Overwhelmed, but in a good way,
Betkany

God's Undeniablilty

While teaching Bible stories for three weeks over the summer, God’s “undeniability” overwhelmed me. When God shows up, there is no denying it. 


Here’s one case. 
It’s paraphrased from Scripture, almost how I would have taught it, but without my own thoughts and applications inserted (I'm too jetlagged and lack motivation to type and organize the plethora of comments I have on the story...). 


I’ll try to post other stories we used that showcase God’s undeniable power soon, but in the meantime, I highly recommend digging in to the book of Daniel yourself and really contemplating the awesome ways that God shows up. 


It blew me away.

From Daniel 3

King Nebuchadnezzar made a giant statue and set it up in Babylon. He called all his rulers and important officials to come to its dedication. His herald told them, “As soon as you hear the sound of all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship this image. If you do not, you will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace!”
When the music played, all the people fell down and worshiped. But, some men came to the king and said, “Oh king, live forever! You said that everyone who hears the music must fall down and worship the golden statue, or else be thrown into the fiery furnace. But there are some Jews, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who have ignored you! They don’t serve your gods OR worship the statue you made. ”
Nebuchadnezzar was furious! He called for the men, and they were brought before him. the king said to them, “Is it true that you that you don’t serve my gods or worship the statue that I set up?” Then he gave them one more chance, “When you hear the music,” the king explained, “if you fall down and worship the golden statue, then good. But if you don’t worship it, you WILL be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?!”
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have nothing to say, because even if we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God that we serve is able to save us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand, O King. But even if He does not rescue us, know this: We will NOT serve your gods or worship the golden statue you have set up.
Nebuchadnezzar was FURIOUS ad he ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual. His strongest soldiers tied up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and threw them into the blazing furnace. The fire was so hot, that the flames killed the soldiers who threw Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in. 

Now, the king, who was watching, leaped up and asked in astonishment, “Didn’t we tie up three men and throw them in the fire?” His men replied, “of course, O king.” Then the king said, “Look! I see not three but four men walking around in the fire, they're not hurt and the fourth looks like a son of the gods!” So Nebuchadnezzar called out to them, “Shadrach! Meshach! Abednego! Servants of the Most High God, COME OUT and come here!” And out they came! The officials crowded around them and saw that the fire had not harmed them, not even a hair from their heads had burnt off. Only the ropes with which they were bound. They didn’t even smell like smoke!

Then, Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who sent his angel and rescued his servants, who trusted in Him, defied the king’s command and were willing to lose their lives rather than worship another god than their own God. Therefore, I make a a decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, be torn limb from limb and their houses destroyed. For there is no other God who is able to rescue in this way.”

I love that He loves

I love this song. 

Your love is pure, Your love is precious
Your love is all I need
Your love surrounds me, Your love astounds me
Your love is everything

I run to You when my heart is weak
I cling to You, You're all I seek
It's my heart's desire to be close to You
Here in Your arms I'll find my strength


Everything I want, everything I hope in
Everything my heart cries out for
Everything I want, everything I hope in
Everything my heart cries out for




I love these verses.


 People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.  I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”  And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. Mark 10:13-16




I love that 


I can run into his arms whenever I need to be surrounded by love and compassion. 


Don't forget, you can too. He cares... about EVERYTHING.


betkany

Don't Worry, Be Faithful!

Today I visited Calvary Bible Church in Ft. Worth. I was really blessed, and I want to share with you some of my thoughts on Pastor Brent Osterberg’s message from Matthew 6:25-34.

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, o you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying ‘what shall we eat?’ or ‘what shall we drink?’ or ‘what shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do no be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
His title was Drowning Your Worry in the Ocean of God’s Faithfulness, and his focus was on five truths we can use to drown our worries.
The first thing that was made very clear was something I needed to hear: Worry Is SIN! even though we tolerate and excuse it much more easily and often than things like murder, adultery etc. We must look at worry how God sees it- as sin. Why would worry be considered something wrong? Isn’t it okay to be greatly concerned about situations and people and things in our lives? Well, I think yes and no. It’s fine for me to show concern, and to give attention to things, but when it becomes something I worry about( aka obsess over, fixate on, etc.), it means that I have begun to doubt that God is a faithful and caring God, that He can take care of it. It’s outright unbelieving God. ouch. 

Some one-liners I have written in my notes are as follows:
Worry is trying to take your life into your own hands.

Worry gives you spiritual tunnel vision- you miss out on the peripheral God’s giving.

Worry keeps us from serving God well.

Here are Pastor Brent’s collection of five truths to drown worry, from Matt 6:

1. Life is more than the things we worry about. it's about God. Worry gives you spiritual tunnel vision, and you miss the things God wants you to see, by being consumed with the one thing that worries you.

2. We don't have to worry, because our Heavenly Father values and cares for us. More than the birds of the air (which he feeds) and the grass of the field (which he clothes). He knows each sparrow that falls to the ground, and how much more does he care for you and me?

3. Worry doesn’t pay off. “Can anyone by worrying add a single hour to his life?” I starred this one-- *Bethany, you’re not making progress toward a solution when you worry. Bethany, you’re NOT making progress toward a solution when you worry. BETHANY, ARE YOU LISTENING? YOU MAKE NO PROGRESS WHEN YOU WORRY.*

4. God will provide for those who seek Him. For crying out loud, He’s already done the hard part, He already sent His one and only Son to die on the cross for our sin. Why wouldn’t he be able to take care of these menial every-day needs? Why do we trust him for eternal life, but not for our daily needs? Do I really think that I can do a better job taking care of my life than God could? If I do, there’s a major problem.

5. Tomorrow is in God’s hands. “Tomorrow will take care of itself.” as in, God took care of today, and he’ll do the same tomorrow. 

The question is: Do you trust him?

There’s so much more I learned, and so much more that I didn’t even have time to write down. It really spoke to me, because I’m such a natural worrier. Some people joke that if there’s nothing to worry about, I’ll make something to worry about. Or if I’m not worried about anything, I’m looking for the next thing to worry about. It’s a terrible habit of mine, and I’ve been working at it for years now. I feel like this sermon gave me some great ammunition against worry. And it came down to one all-encompassing thought for me: Bethany, If you’re going to be faithful to God, you must not worry. 

I'm hoping this speaks to you in some way, and if it does I'd love to hear that I'm not the only one!

In other news: 

Here are two songs I've been thinking about today:

Time for me to post this baby and catch a few zzz's...
Have a blessed week, and don’t worry, be faithful!!
Betkany

From God, to Spurgeon, to Isaiah

Today’s an eclectic mish-mash of lots of things on my heart.

Think for a second about how many people you passed on your way to school/work today. Can you remember any faces? I was making note of the ones behind me at stoplights today as I was praying, and this blew me away: Just think- you’re in one city out of hundreds, if not thousands in your state/country alone. Multiply that by every other country, and it’s nearly mind-boggling. There are countless people with a life- a background, a present and a future filling up this earth. Now think about this- God is intimately acquainted with each and every person. Their genetic make-up, their personality, their dreams and desires, their struggles and failures. EVERYTHING. not only that, he intimately CARES about each and every person. That’s one great, big, amazing God. With Him there is no partiality (Rom 2). The only thing differing from person to person in relation to God’s intimate knowledge and attentiveness is how we respond to it. And so I asked myself today, “how am I responding to God’s care and concern for me? Do I ignore it, or do I appreciate it?”  “How am I showing Him my gratitude for loving me, and not getting tired of it, but continuing to love me through the good and the bad...always being there?”
I just had to tell Him like it is, “God, you never cease to amaze me!”

From Morning & Evening by Spurgeon, for Oct 7th. I’ve been thinking about this, and rejoicing in it for the past several days.

“In whom do you now trust?” Is 36:5

Reader, this is an important question. Listen to the Christian’s answer, and see if it is yours. “In whom do you now trust?” “I trust,” says the Christian, in a Triune God. I trust the Father, believing that He has chosen me from before the foundations of the world; I trust him to provide for me in providence, to teach me, to guide me, to correct me if need be and to bring me home to His own house where there are many rooms. I trust the Son. He is very God of very God-the man Christ Jesus. I trust in Him to take away al my sins by His own sacrifice and to clothe me with His perfect righteousness. I trust Him to be my Intercessor; to present my prayers and desires before His Father’s throne, and I trust Him to be my Advocate at the last great day, to plead my cause, and to justify me. I trust Him for what He is, for what He has done and for what He has promised still to do. and I trust the Holy Spirit- He has  begun to save me from my inbred sins; I trust Him to drive them all out; I trust Him to curb my temper, to subdue my will, to enlighten my understanding, to check my passions, to comfort my despondency, to help my weakness, to illuminate my darkness. I trust Him to dwell in me as my life, to reign in me as my King, to sanctify me completely, spirit, soul, and body, and then to take me up to dwell with the saints in light forever.”
What blessed trust- to trust Him whose power will never be exhausted, whose faithfulness will never fail, whose wisdom will never be overruled, and whose perfect goodness can never be impaired!
You are happy, reader, if this trust is yours! So trusting, you will enjoy sweet peace now and glory later, and the foundation of your trust will never be removed.

IN other news: an absolute favorite song of mine, especially when i don't know what to do and my new passage for memorization:

Isaiah 55 (ESV)

  "Come, everyone who thirsts,

   come to the waters;

and he who has no money,

   come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk

   without money and without price.

 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,

   and your labor for that which does not satisfy?

Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,

   and delight yourselves in rich food.

Incline your ear, and come to me;

    hear, that your soul may live;

and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,

   my steadfast, sure love for David.

 Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples,

    a leader and commander for the peoples.

 Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know,

   and a nation that did not know you shall run to you,

because of the LORD your God, and of the Holy One of Israel,

    for he has glorified you.

  "Seek the LORD while he may be found;
   call upon him while he is near;
let the wicked forsake his way,
   and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him,
   and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
   neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
   so are my ways higher than your ways
   and my thoughts than your thoughts.

  "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
   and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
    giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
   it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
   and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

  "For you shall go out in joy
   and be led forth in peace;
 the mountains and the hills before you
   shall break forth into singing,
   and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
   instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the LORD,
   an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."

Stumbling and getting back up,
Betkany

Oh, Oh, we need each other!

i’ve now officially crossed to the other side of the world, and the only time i have to write seems to be at 5am in the morning, when i’m wide awake because of TMJ and Jet Lag. 

I realized something yesterday. You see, i’ve been reading Scripture my whole reading life, and I love Scripture, BUT there was always something weird going on with the book of Proverbs. It’s one of the only books of the Bible that I would literally have to force myself to read. And I would just read it in hopes that the words would stick, even though I wasn’t enjoying it.

Well, my dear Rachel and I have been reading a chapter from the New Testament and a chapter from Proverbs every morning, and yesterday, it occurred to me that I really looked forward to what wisdom we might find in Proverbs that day. And as I read through the chapter, my mind was constantly “check-marking” good ideas for me to apply. 

Basically, some time in the past few months, I’ve fallen in love with the book of Proverbs. Finally, after twenty-billion years of reading scripture. (yay! it’s about time :P)

I think it has a lot to do with a book called “Girls Gone Wise in a world gone wild” by Mary Kassian. The way that Mary presented the wisdom found in so many proverbs made me crave for more wisdom, more insight, more knowledge of how to please God. More wisdom on how to bless others, live right, and live well.

There are just some things in my Christian walk that I don’t quite understand why they are so hard for me to do, but then overnight, they’ll become my favorite thing! Along with prayer for a changed heart, it takes the right kind of encouragement, at just the right time for this to happen. Like how Mary Kassian was there in my life at just the right time, I so want to be in other’s lives at just the right time.

It’s such a good reminder to get into other people’s business (in a sweet and loving way, of course) because you just might be that one person at that one time that makes the difference their life was needing. And when you are, the glory goes to God, because you have followed His leading, and changed a life for His Kingdom’s sake. 

That’s what I want to be- a person who steps in and out of lives, according to God’s Will. Having the right things to say and knowing the best ways to encourage. I know i can never be perfect at it, but I am getting better at it, every year. And I learn by experience, from those around me who feed Godliness into my life, by those who take the time to care about me, my problems, my weaknesses, my joys. 

One of the best teachers is experience, so let’s go around making each other’s experiences worthwhile, especially in the body of Christ. 

Cause as the lead singer from Sanctus Real says (I’m blanking on his name this early in the morning) “Oh, Oh, we need each other!"

Thank you, every believer who has made a difference in my life, who has put time into teaching me, correcting me, encouraging me. I’d be nowhere good, if you hadn’t! 

Keep up the good work... or join in, if you haven’t already!

Betkany

His Voice

I picked John chapter 14 to be my new scripture memory passage. I’ve been working on  1 John 4, and I’m about half-way done with it, so I’m starting a new one too. 

But John 14 leaves me wondering this maybe superficial but still very intriguing (to me) question:

What did Jesus’ voice sound like? 

Did it gently rumble when he spoke? 

Did it lilt in it’s own distinctive rhythm? 

Did it naturally carry for long distances, or did it come across as soft? 

Don’t you sometimes wish they had video recording or at least voice recording back then? 

Can you imagine hearing God’s own holy Words actually falling from His own lips? 

Did he speak with an air of confidence? 

How much of his humility was reflected in his tones?

I wonder, I wonder.

I especially wonder in this interaction with his disciples, did his voice shiver with excitement and then quiver with disappointment? Was it laced with astonishment at their hard-headedness? Was it ever so patient and understanding?

Or is his voice so inconsequential that only the feeling and truth of the words left a lasting impression, rather than the tone?

Whatever the case, I can’t wait to be in the presence of the God, and hear Jesus speak.

  "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."

  Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

 "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.  Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

  "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

 "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.  Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.  In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.  Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him."  Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, "Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?" Jesus answered him,  "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.

 "These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.  You heard me say to you, 'I am going away, and I will come to you.' If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.

What to wear, what to wear!

All too often while going through the daily happenings of life, I keep Jesus in my closet, clean and, well, stored away. Taking Him out for Bible Study, Church, Ministry...as if He doesn't relate to every single part of life. But that's not true, and not how I should live!

According to Romans 13:14 we should "... clothe [our]selves with the Lord Jesus Christ..."

The word "clothe" in the original greek is "enduo" meaning to clothe or be clothed with, in the sense of sinking into a garment.

We shouldn’t wear Jesus rarely- like a special occasion outfit or accessorized- as a scarf, treasured necklace, favorite pair of jeans or even a unique fragrance. 

No, Jesus should be like an all-encompassing overcoat that we sink into ~immerse ourselves in. That way, we’ll be completely covered up in Him, and others will know, unmistakably, who we’re into.

How are you putting Jesus on?

(Thanks goes to Todd, for getting me thinking!)

got verses?

FOR SERIOUSLY, having the flu really takes everything out of a person. I can't even come up with a good title for this post, I'm so "dead"...
Over the past few days, I've been trying to write a couple different blog posts, but every time I stop to think about a concept, or how best to word a sentence, my head starts to pound, my body starts to ache, my nose starts to run and I get shaky with cold, burning hot, or sleepy. Actually, anytime I try to do anything, that happens.
But you probably know how the flu goes. 


I'd be stupid to think I'm the only person spending this Christmas week curled up on the couch with a box of tissues and a pile of medicines, so I figured I'd just share some of the verses that either I've read, or others have shared with me these past few days. They really encouraged my spirit.
Maybe you're not out with the flu but you're going through some kind of rough situation, or maybe you're perfectly healthy and doing just fine...
these are for you too :)

Lamentations 3:22-26

Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
   for his compassions never fail.
 They are new every morning;
   great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion;
   therefore I will wait for him.”

 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
   to the one who seeks him; 

 it is good to wait quietly
   for the salvation of the LORD. 

2 Corinthians 4:7-18

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.  We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;  persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.  We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.  For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body.  So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

  It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak,  because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself.  All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

 Therefore 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, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Psalm 73:23-26

Yet I am always with you;
   you hold me by my right hand.
 You guide me with your counsel,
   and afterward you will take me into glory.
 Whom have I in heaven but you?
   And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
 My flesh and my heart may fail,
   but God is the strength of my heart
   and my portion forever.

I'd love to see more verses! Obviously, this list is anything but extensive so there are a lot more passages out there. If you have a moment, please comment with a verse that speaks to you and might speak to others too.

Blessings on you this Christmas season,

 Betka