Looks pretty good huh? I finally watched it yesterday after wanting to see if for a while (mostly because it has Gerard Butler in it). You know those stories that put your heart on fire for the Lord? This is one of those. I was blown away for two hours watching this film. I cried, a lot. If you haven't seen this film I want you to. It's amazing ... and it's based on the true story of Sam Childers. Hollywood makes a lot of crap movies but every once in a while it makes a film like this.
This movie is a story, a testimony and it will move you.
Granted there are scenes and actions which you will question, I encourage you to watch it through. I think everyone can relate to Sam Childers in that a walk with God is not an easy task.
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,he leads me beside quiet waters,he refreshes my soul.He guides me along the right pathsfor his name’s sake.Even though I walkthrough the darkest valley, I will fear no evil,
God has created us with a need for approval. We look from it anywhere and everywhere—society, parents, friends, etc. Most of the time we want to hear what we want to hear. We want to be reassured that our feelings and actions are right, even if they aren't. It's easy to let shallow opinions guide and shape us but the Bible tells us it's futile. Our desire for acceptance will only grow deeper.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In lovehepredestined us for adoption to sonshipthrough Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
-Ephesians 1:3-6
Our desire for acceptance is a craving that no one but God Himself can fill. And He did this by sending His son to die for us. Who could we trust more than the One who paid for our forgiveness?
Tonight I did a talk on how God made us all unique for one of our youth groups. Our theme this term is Narnia and there is a scene where the youngest Lucy casts a spell to be like her older sister Susan. Lucy wants to be like her because she wants to be beautiful. When she changes she realizes that she loses her identity and there no longer is any Lucy and no Narnia (she discovered it and told her siblings). Aslan (representing God) tells here "You doubt your value. Don't run from who you are."
I linked this with what the Bible says about our creation.
For you created my inmost being;you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
-Psalm 139:13
God took time to make each and every one of us. He knows every little detail because of it:
Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
-Luke 12:7
I challenged the kids to think about what the world would be like if we were all the same and asked them to reflect on how being a creation of God made them feel. I think it's a pretty awesome. Think of how different and valuable we all are!
Honor all people, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the king.
-1 Peter 2:17
God loves everyone and he calls us to do the same. I'm pretty sure I can speak for everyone when I say this is hard. There are always certain people that get under your skin or others who we chose to brush off because we don't deem them as acceptable.
As people of God we should live with respect and honor. Christ calls us to live like He did and I don't remember any stories of him turning people away. He accepted everyone. When we label and judge people we are letting Satan into our hearts. We are rebelling against the call God has put on our lives.
We should see every person as an opportunity to show Christ's love. How are you going to show God's love to everyone this Lent?
Yesterday afternoon was my weekly bible study with my girls. We had been looking at Proverbs, but decided to move on to another book. They are really interested in the Old Testament and we finally decided on the book of Job, which to my amusement they pronounced j-o-b (like an occupation). I have never read the entire book before, but I know the story. Needless to say I am excited to study this with them. Especially when it has such a great message!
For those of you who don't know, Job is a wealthy man who has thousands of animals, a big family and many other blessings. Job 1:1 says "This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil." Satan comes to God and challenges him saying: “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” (Job 1:9-12) Satan then attacks Job by having people steal his donkeys and oxen, burning his sheep and their servants, sending a raiding party to steal his camels and slay their servants and finally killing all his children. At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said:“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. (Job 1:20-22)
The last lines of this chapter are just so moving and inspiring. The girls and I talked about how likely our response would be like that of Job's (not very likely at all). How many of us can truly say our faith and belief in God is that wonderful? That he could strip us or everything and we would still cry out worshiping him?
I pray that we remain humble as His people. Realizing all we have is His doing. We can never stop thanking Him. And the best way we can do that is to love him with everything we have, even when we have nothing.
I tweeted this verse a couple days ago because I couldn't help but share it. I haven't read a lot of Samuel, but my Mom gave me a devotional a while back that slowly takes you through each book in the Bible. I'm reading new things all the time, which is awesome!
"The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
-1 Samuel 16:7
It seems so easy in this world to get caught up in appearances. We all are guilty of it. People always tell us what's inside matters most but I know I sometimes blow that off. I think yeah right, looks count for something. And they do, but so does inward appearance. The whole "inward appearance" is an awkward term, so I like to think of it as the inward spirit that is shown through your outward appearance and actions. If we have a good heart it should be just as noticeable as what brand of jeans we have on.
I love this:
"Focus your attention on being authentic, on being real.
Don't just put on a good face, put on goodness."
My devotional suggests putting on godly attributes as we get ready for the day. Just like we put on our make-up, shoes, clothes—put on gentleness, self-control, kindness, etc.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Against such things there is no law.
-Galatians 5:22-23
Really great thing to think about...hope it challenges it you like it has me.
I've just started Crazy Love by Francis Chan with my Thursday morning bible study. One word describes what I've read so far: convicting, but in a good way. So I'm going to dare you, yes, I said dare like a 10 year-old. I dare you to read this post, watch the videos and hopefully want to read this book.
................................................
Amazing huh?
Makes you think:
How awesome and great is God?
And who do I think I am?
Really puts things in perspective. How great and mighty He is and how small and insignificant we are.
We always say God is the creator, but what does that really mean? I like to think of Him as an artist. Frankly, the best artist. Who else has the imagination, skills and abilities to create what He did? Chan asks people to ponder the diversity of his creations. For instance laughs, He could have made one laugh, but He didn't. There are wheezes, snorts (love you Courtney!), silent, loud and obnoxious laughs.
It's amazing really. His attention to detail is unparalleled. Like any piece of artwork, God's creations reflect who He is.
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voicegoes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
-Psalm 19:1-4
(Love, love, love what he says around minute 3-4.)
If you are like me you are thinking wow. This stuff is awesome. And awesome sounds so corny.... but Chan makes a heartbreaking point in the next part of the chapter — we forget. He calls it an epidemic of spiritual amnesia. We need to be reminded.
We know He is holy — Perfection. He is unfathomable.
He is eternal — He exists outside of time.
But you O Lord, sit enthroned forever; your renown endures
through all generations ... But you remain the same,
and your years will never end.
-Psalm 102:12, 27
He is all-knowing — We can't fool him. He chooses to know every little detail about us. He doesn't have to, He wants to.
He is all-powerful —Everything was created forGod, yet we act like God created everything for us. "As much as we want God to explain himself to us, His creation, we are in no place to demand that He give an account to us."God doesn't owe us an explanation for things. Reverse the situation. What would happen if God started asking us for explanations?
He is fair and just —None of us are good, only God is. He hates sin. He will punish and he will be fair in it.
Read Revelation 4. It's an interesting and challenging chapter.
And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby.
A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne.
-Revelation 4:3
Chan's challenge — How would you react upon seeing this God described? What would your first words be? And does prayer/talk with Him change when you think of Him this way (as God Almighty and as a person)?
Last May I graduated from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. After graduation I went to England for a two week mission trip, fell in love with the place and now I am spending the next year working as a youth worker in a small church in Nunthorpe.
