Humility? Not as hard as you think? ..think again.

I don’t know why, but for some reason I have been running away from the whole “blogging” scene. I love to write – it’s freeing to me, a deep breath out. I can definitely say that I am in desperate need of a FEW deep breaths out. I think one reason I haven’t been investing my time into it is because I have convinced myself that I don’t have anything to write about… nothing good enough to put into words. (Uhhh DUH Em!) God is working in my life! He is teaching me things and allowing me to learn difficult lessons about myself. (Those are generally the hardest to learn…) Summer 2011 has gone a lot differently than I would have thought but God has a purpose in every aspect of life, which I might add, His Word is sufficient to face with and handle any situation in every aspect of life. That was free. (Self-confrontation) My beloved Wynn and I were chatting over the heavenly invention of SKYPE the other day. As we were talking about the different trials we have both been dealing with recently, 1 Peter 5:6-7 was brought to my attention. “Therefore HUMBLE yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxieties on Him because He cares for you.” As we were talking about the verse I suddenly realized HOW MUCH this actually applied to me. It applies to everyone but I was sharing it with Wynn as encouragement for his current trial. In reality, God was sharing it with me. Humility is a struggle and if you think that you are exempt from this you are sadly mistaken. Our selfishness comes from the root of a haughty attitude. Our sin stems from selfishness which comes right back down to humility. So many people reject the gospel of Christ because they refuse to admit they are the problem, they refuse to look inside and see the need for change. I say no to sharing the gospel because I am not thinking of the lost soul destined for hell but my own selfish insecurities. Humility is a problem. However, when we humble ourselves under God’s might hand – He gives us strength. We choose to do the right thing, the selfless and humble thing – God exalts us in His perfect timing. How refreshing is that. Yeah, I thought so too.

Justification

Well, I promise to update this more than once a week. There are so many things I could write about but once again the “topic” I had set aside to discuss has been demoted for a more recent update on what was preached in church tonight.  Rev. Smyrl preached on Romans 8 and focused in on verse 31,

“If God is for us, who is against us?”

He also talked about justification, which is where I want to spend my time. (This one will actually be short!) Rev. Smyrl gave an example of a real life event that had happened to him. He and a man had been having a conversation about this topic and this is what the man said. “I think I get it. So we, as humans and sinners, (one in the same) have a dirty, sinful, and broken inside, but because of Jesus we are covered by His goodness on the outside – that’s how it works. That’s why a holy God can look at us, even though we are sinful creatures.” (I’m paraphrasing by the way, despite my wonderful listening skills I cannot remember exactly what was said during the service.) Rev. Smyrl replied and said, “You’re asking the right questions but you see, it’s the exact opposite. When we enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ, He makes us new. He purifies and cleanses our INSIDE and until we arrive in Heaven where He will give us new glorified bodies, we are stuck in this OLD WRAPPER.” Did you catch that!? I did not realize, until tonight, that I had a completely distorted view of justification. God has cleaned my inside and made it white as snow – He has called me daughter and has made me and heir, which completely blows my mind. I am a sinner, yes – but I have been made new and I long for the day when Christ’s work will be completed in me and I will obtain my glorified body.

Check Your Heart...

Well, before any one has the chance to say it, ‘I know it has been FOREVER and way too long since I have blogged!’ I just finished up my second year of college and my first year of experiencing the whole “away from home” thing – and to be honest, it has been one of the best and most rewarding things I have ever done. God has been so faithful and I will expound upon that in the near future. (And I do mean near, I promise. Probably tomorrow or the next day  ) There are certain things, “activities”, people do, whether by themselves or with friends and family, that has a special place of meaning and significance. One of the things I love to do with my family is to go to church. This sounds kind of cliché I know. But it’s the truth. I think the reason it holds a special place in my heart is because it’s one of the few things my “busy” family has the chance to do together. I treasure the moments of eating dinner at FBC Jax and I savor every delicious and delectable sip of sweet, sweet tea! I just love being around the dinner table with my mom and dad, sisters, brother-in-law, and nieces and nephew. It’s a precious time. But I also love being in my church; MY church. (I know it’s not my church and I know that the church isn’t a building but the people. However, I love sitting in the pews, sensing the welcome-ness and sweet spirit of people who love the Lord.) Tonight was my first Wednesday night back. It was wonderful! I was so encouraged by the preaching of Nehemiah 8:1-8. I have debated whether or not to simply summarize what this piece of scripture is about or to really explain it and I have decided that it is TOO GOOD to pass up, so this may be a long blog. (And if you actually read my blogs, which I’m sure is VERY few, then you should be used to it. :) The Israelites had just returned and had rebuilt the wall. (If you read it, which I encourage you to do, this will make more sense. However I am going to try to make it understandable without you having to read it.) The rebuilding of the wall was a huge victory and as soon as the Israelites were finished, (vs.1) “All the people gathered together” and asked Ezra to PREACH! We don’t do that. Since when have you been rejoicing over the victory of a football game and got so caught up in the excitement you asked someone to preach the Word!? They were begging for a blessing. They wanted to praise the Lord for their victory! It says in verses 3 that Ezra read “from daybreak until noon.” We get irritated when the pastor preaches 5 minutes passed his scheduled time… we would all probably get up and leave if he told us he was going to talk for 5 hours. Yet these people listened attentively! (vs.3) We can’t even stay alert in our OWN prayers; what a reminder these people are of true diligence. It then says in verse 5, “As he opened it, all the people stood up.” There was a respect for God’s Word. We get tired of our music minister telling us to stand up and then to sit down…then when our pastor gets up to preach, he tells us to stand up… when in reality we should be standing up out of respect before he even has to ask us. I know I have ranted way too much, but this message and passage of scripture really spoke to me. God really spoke to me. We should be excited to be in His word and His house. Are you excited to spend time with God? Are you looking forward to Sunday or dreading it? Check your heart and check His word. “It’s good to be back!”

White as Snow

This Florida girl has had a pretty interesting few weeks. Last Sunday, my friends and I eagerly anticipated the coming snow storm – of course, we drove to pizza hut to celebrate the school being closed for Monday; we didn’t expect to not have school for an entire week! Yes, no classes for 5 days…in college, at Truett-McConnell College, located in Cleveland, Ga. I will be the first one to tell you that I was ecstatic about the coming storm. My good friend Becca came into my dorm room on Saturday and told me that we had to go get the ‘essentials’ from Wally-World. I replied, “Oh yeah we better go. Wait, what are the essentials?” We did not stock up enough. Lesson # 1 – when a snow day is anticipated stock up on frozen dinners and anything you can heat up in the microwave. I set my alarm on Monday morning for 7:45. I think I would have gotten up earlier but I decided to let my friends sleep in at least a little while. I walked out of my room, turned to the right, looked outside the window, and stood there with my mouth hanging open, speechless. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. The trees were covered with sparkling white snow and the ground was untouched; perfectly flat, soft as cotton. I then proceeded to run and wake my friends up, only to find them groggy and wanting to stay in bed. (Come on y’all!!!) I was met with a “You are crazy!” as well as a locked door. (Thank you Becca, Sarah, and Alicia : ) We played that entire day and then crashed that afternoon. The next few days were met with the excitement of no school and the dreadful terror of snow that had turned into ice which then led to cabin fever. And when I say cabin fever I mean CABIN FEVER. We were all just about to go crazy. However, we made the most of our time: played games, watched movies - the redbox saved our lives! Finally the week past, and as I look back I see where God taught me a LOT. I haven’t blogged in forever and I believe that that is the work of Satan. I simply haven’t ‘felt’ like writing, which is a gift God has given me, and Satan has successfully gotten me to ‘pause.’ Well listen here Satan; it’s time to PRESS play! (I don’t know why I just got off on that tangent, I promise there is a method to my madness!) Sunday finally came, thank goodness! And during the worship time of the service, the Tim Johnson band, a band from Truett, was invited to lead a few songs during worship. The leader started out talking about the snow. Oh man, this is where it gets GOOD!!! He simply said, “The best part about the snow is looking out and seeing all the white and knowing that God has taken our crimson hearts and washed them WHITE as SNOW! I was convicted, excited, hopeful, and full of joy when he spoke those words. I had thanked God for the snow, but I had forgotten to really praise His name and give Him glory for what He had done in my life. The perfect simile: He washed me white as snow. I was stained crimson with my sin; but God sent Jesus to take my place and He washed all of my ‘blood’ away and He changed me and made me WHITE as snow. I simply cannot get over that. “Thank you for the snow Lord, bring us more that I may worship you through it! Forgive me when I sin and thank You for making me clean and washing me as white as snow."

Life is tough but God is FAITHFUL

Man, what a rush. I’m a tad bit out of breath and my heart is about to beat out of my chest! No, not because I’m ‘that’ out of shape but because of the excitement and encouragement God, just moments ago, placed within my spirit. (I was all of a sudden overwhelmed with the desire to write down the thoughts and feelings God has placed in my heart. And for those of you who know me well will understand as to why I just sprinted down the hall, up the stairs to grab my Bible and computer so that I could jot down my thoughts.) I’m in the lobby of my dorm where at this very moment a group pf people are gathered watching ‘Charlie St. Cloud.’ (Great movie, by the way.) I’m seated in the back of the room, attempting to study for my Old Testament final I have Monday morning. I just finished trying to help my dear Wynn study for his math final – but as my mother so delicately put it, ‘Em, that’s like the blind leading the blind.’ It’s the thought that counts me suppose. One of the concepts I was studying on my review sheet was the prophetic actions of Jeremiah. The one particular action I was committing to memory was the Almond tree – its significance was that God would fulfill His word. This past week has been absolutely a whirlwind! God has tested my faith in His faithfulness and at times I didn’t even recognize that that’s what He was doing. My dad has been in and out of Doctors offices with an unusual back pain, finals started this week, and those everyday, nagging circumstances and problems have been hitching a ride on the ‘Emily train,’- and life is just tough. (This all ties together, I promise.) As I was trying to remember Jeremiahs prophesy of the Almond Tree and God’s faithfulness, the visual learner inside of me took a glance outside in search of a tree to associate with this certain prophetic question. As I looked at the tree outside my dorm I was thinking, “There ya’ go Em, God is faithful to fulfill His promises. Look, he takes care of the trees.” And it was at this moment that I decided to race up the stairs in search of my Bible and computer. This past week God has tested my trust in Him. It’s just been one of those weeks; nothing horrible happened but it’s just been a struggle to get through. I’ve poured out my heart to God and searched His word for verses on faith and hope. I was blessed beyond belief with the verses He brought to my attention. This is one of the reasons His word is so important and dear to my heart – it is my hope. I’m so thankful that the Lord is sure to fulfill His promises. He is always faithful whether we deserve it or not. I am blessed to have such wonderful friends and a wonderful family to love and encourage me. I’m also very thankful for the wonderful young man God has placed in my life. Wynn reminded me the other day that life is tough. But the reason we have joy and hope is because of Jesus Christ. We get in these dark spots in life and sometimes forget that the Light of the World is living inside of us. When we are overwhelmed by our struggles and by life itself, we need to remember who are hope is in – the faithful Father. Don’t be troubled by your troubles. We are not promised tomorrow so we need to live our lives in the HOPE and faithfulness of the Lord today. Love, laugh, live, cry, sing, dance, eat :] , hope, run, play, conquer, and don’t get tangled up in what could have been; take what the Lord has given you and USE it for His glory. 3 days till Christmas break! Luke 1:37, “For NOTHING will be impossible with God.”

Loving one another...it's tough.

It’s funny what God will use to teach you things. A couple weeks ago, I went with my good friend, and a handful of other people, on a ‘mini road trip’ for the weekend. It was a lot of fun and definitely a different experience than I expected it to be. I was a bit nervous about the ‘big adventure’ – solely because some of the people that had decided to tag along weren’t exactly the people I ‘chummed’ around with all the time. My heart had become haughty and these were the ones I often found myself wondering why they were even attending TMC. Nevertheless, 2 of my very best friends were in the group and it was destined to be a fun time filled with memories! (I am going to try and not drag this story out – I tend to do that; but I will give it my best to get to the point.) That night, a certain group of people decided to involve themselves in things that did not represent Christ, the school they attend, or themselves. This saddened my heart and really angered my spirit. I was disappointed in a few, angry at some others, and relieved when my best friend decided not to partake in the folly of ‘temporary fun’ – whatever his reasons. That night, some sleeping arrangements were rearranged and our wonderful host found it within her heart to put up the ‘disadvantaged’ boy on her couch. I know he was relieved; but I can guarantee you, I was more so. As we ventured off to bed and goodnights were being exchanged, my best friend hollered at me and said, “Hey, you wanna’ say prayers with me?” I was a little surprised at his request, nonetheless joyful and excited that he desired to join in prayer together; I suppose I will give credit to the ‘wee’ hours of the morning as to why I was a bit taken back – I shouldn’t have been, but I was. Of course, I agreed. I knelt down by the once, shaggy headed boy who was curled up on a couch too small for his long core, who had rumpled up the sheets trying to get comfortable. As he prayed, my spirit was convicted and touched. He prayed for his friends. He acknowledged that God, the same God who loves him and me, loves them just as much despite their bad judgment. Now, I’ve been raised with the saying, “Birds of a feather flock together” as a mission statement in choosing my friends and those who I hang around with. I am beyond blessed that I have been so privileged to have such godly influences and friendships in my life – not everyone gets to experience that and I am ever so thankful for the Lords provision. To sum up the story – There is a particular individual in this group of people who I have become not so fond of. The Lord convicted me that instead of judging him on the mistakes he has made, I should be loving Him with the Love I have experienced in Christ Jesus. I struggle with application…I really struggle with it. I’m praying for this guy, that he would wake up and get real in his faith. The Lord brings him across my mind quite often and I always say a prayer within my heart for him. I’m praying that God will use me, and that he will use one of my friends to be an example of REAL Christians: the ones who show love, have fun, but honor the Lord in everything that we do. I had this “revelation” that God could use us, somehow, someway, to show these kids that what they are living is not a Christ-filled life. And if they already know that, and simply don’t care, God can use us to show them that the Christian walk is worth it. That’s my prayer. It sounds kind of crazy and unusual. But why would I limit my God to the ways He can use me? The ways He can use us? Get the focus off of yourself – if there are people you have a hard time loving, PRAY for them and go out of YOUR way to prove God’s love for them. John 13:34 says, “I give you a NEW command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Today is IT!

Today…is it. It’s all we have. In America, we are taught that there is always a tomorrow; but this isn’t true. Now, I am in no way condoning the ‘live for today, do what feels good’ mentality. But as Christians, I really do believe that we should be living to give God all that we have today, not plan on giving Him half today and the other half next week. This entire ‘idea’ is really something that God has been placing on my mind and my heart for the past week or two. A good friend brought it to my attention that we get so caught up in trying to figure out God and what He wants that if we’re not careful we will miss the opportunity to receive the blessings that He has for us, and miss the chance to bring Him honor and glory through our IMPERFECT and BROKEN lives. This hit home for me – we try to over think things and out think God. When we do this, where is our faith? What are we saying to God? Do we trust Him? No. Our view of God is often distorted, even as Christians. We tend proclaim His as Supreme Being over our lives but in our hearts we diminish his power and His providential care over our lives. He deserves all that we are. He deserves 100% of who we are, today. I struggle with this and God is working with me. (Thank goodness!) Matthew 6:34, “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”