Prayer

Father, I don't deserve You.
I don't deserve You because You're holy and I'm not.
because You're righteous and I'm not.
because Your arms hold life, while mine hold pain, and rebellion,
and fear.
You make every moment worth living, but I complain that my life doesn't do me justice.
Who am I to call myself humble enough? Wise enough? Biblical enough? How dare I boast about who I am when I'm nothing more than a selfish, thieving, foolish, wretch? I don't open my Bible because I'm afraid that when I actually do, I'll begin changing into someone I don't know. Pride is my companion. You know who I am; You are more than familiar with the person I try to hide. And despite that You give me amazing grace. You tell me I'm worth dying for. You give me wings to fly ; You know just how much I love the feeling of soaring. My chains are gone- I'm a prisoner set free. My hope has been rising from beneath the horizon. You dwell in the shadows of these mountains of discouragement. You make yourself known to me through my failures. You stay true to Your promises despite the rain; You will never leave me or forsake me. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me. I will be still. I will be weak. I will be less, that you might get glory. Here's my life, my love, my conviction. I want to do nothing less than change the world for You, Father, that Your name might be remembered. I want to bless Your name, Oh God. To You be the kingdom, the glory and the power, forever and ever. In Jesus name, so be it.

And He Said ...

"If you love Me, keep My commandments." ~ John 14:15

...But I can't do that ... it would be awkward.
"If you love Me, keep My commandments."
People will be offended if I say that.
"If you love Me, keep My commandments."
People won't like me.
"If you love Me, keep My commandments."
My friends will think I'm judgmental.
"If you love Me, keep My commandments."
(Insert other excuse here.)
"IF YOU LOVE ME, KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS."


It doesn't matter what we say, what excuse we devise to try and get out of things. In the end, when God asks us why we did not do something, His word will stand. If we love Him, we HAVE to do what He told us to do. We can't be afraid of what others think. We have to step out of the box and be not of this world!

The Word of God speaks!! -- James 1

¹⁹ Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; ²⁰for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. ²¹Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

²²But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. ²⁴For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. ²⁵But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

²⁶If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless

VBS

Blood of Christ

"The end of all things is at hand; therefore be sef-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has reaceived a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God: whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies-in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Chris. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Learning to love the community of Christ again takes effort, heart of servitude and God's grace. It's definitely not easy but the hope and faith that God will restore and rebuild His love in my church is much more than the hatred and bitterness that is going on. Let the blood of Christ run through our vein so we may love each other the way He loved us.

Let's Go Get Some Invisible Things!

 II Corinthians 4: 18

While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things 

which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.








we outttttttttt

For Such a Time

Esther 4: 3-4, 13-16

³ In each and every province where the command and decree of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing; and many lay on sackcloth and ashes.

⁴ Then Esther’s maidens and her eunuchs came and told her, and the queen writhed in great anguish.

¹³ Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not imagine that you in the king’s palace can escape any more than all the Jews. ¹⁴ For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?”

¹⁵ Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, ¹⁶ “Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens also will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.”

How do we react when we see people's needs? How do we respond?

When Esther found out that her people were grieving, she "writhed in great anguish."

She wasn't merely concerned; she saw and she responded.

After hearing the news of Haman's plot to destroy the Jews, she prepared to confront the king by praying and fasting and she asked all the people to do the same. Esther knew how to make decisions.

Guard your heart, just don't follow it...

Proverbs 4:23- Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.


Jeremiah 17:9- The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

A daring believer

Open the flood gates of heaven.

22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

29 “Come,” he said. Matthew 14:22-29

We probably read this so many times at sunday school, sunday service, vbs, retreat, conference, qts and even in group discussion. In our head, we know this story back and forth (thats what we reason)

Forgetting what Jesus had done with the loaves of bread and fish, the disciples terrified and where the heck did ghost come from anyways.

The best part of this story is when Peter having conversation with Jesus through the storm. He did not say things like save me oh Lord(well later on yes) or go ahead calm the storm or God do what you always do and will watch it from the side line. Peter said "tell me.."

Is Peter challenging Jesus? haha Peter's confidence in Jesus blew my mind.. i guess God knew and have faith in Peter.

What a daring man and Jesus said come.

Science Confirms the Bible

Science Confirms the Bible

THE BIBLE (2,000–3,000 years ago)	SCIENCE THEN	SCIENCE NOW
The earth is a sphere (Isaiah 40:22).	The earth was a flat disk.	The earth is a sphere.
Innumerable stars (Jeremiah 33:22).	Only 1,100 stars.	Innumerable stars.
Free float of earth in space (Job 26:7).	Earth sat on a large animal.	Free float of earth in space.
Creation made of invisible elements (Hebrews11:3).	Science was ignorant on the subject.	Creation made of invisible elements (atoms).
Each star is different (1 Corinthians 15:41).	All stars were the same.	Each star is different.
Light moves (Job 38:19,20).	Light was fixed in place.	Light moves.
Air has weight (Job 28:25).	Air was weightless.	Air has weight.
Winds blow in cyclones (Ecclesiastes 1:6).	Winds blew straight.	Winds blow in cyclones.
Blood is the source of life and health (Leviticus 17:11).	Sick people must be bled.	Blood is the source of life and health.
Ocean floor contains deep valleys and mountains (2 Samuel 22:16; Jonah 2:6).	The ocean floor was flat.	Ocean floor contains deep valleys and mountains.
Ocean contains springs (Job 38:16).	Ocean fed only by rivers and rain.	Ocean contains springs.
When dealing with disease, hands should be washed under running water (Leviticus 15:13).	Hands washed in still water.	When dealing with disease, hands should be washed under running water.

Psalm 25:16-17

dont you dare forget

via Anna Srigiri