Constant Faltering Devotion

Looked up a rather unknown Misty Edwards song today- you should listen to it... here are some of the words;

I can hear the rhythm of the Lion of the tribe of Judah

He's doing a new thing so we're singing a new song

he's not a baby in a manger anymore He's not a broken man on a cross
He didn't stay in the grave and He's not staying in heaven forever

He's alive He's alive He's alive

People get ready! Jesus is coming!

People walking ground with their fingers in the their ears saying
"La-du-du-du-du I don't want to hear the sound of the coming King"

Once again I'm going to shake everything that can be shaken
Once again I'm going to break everything that can be broken

This song reminds me of how much in my life can be shaken and broken. I've been learning about that lately...too much of my life can be shaken- but if all is built on Christ I should be unshakeable in every circumstance. I have been putting some of my joy and hope and things that can be shaken. After all, in the very end what remains besides love? Nothing. Nothing but love remains. I think that I need to replace my all in my God.

And
"It feels like I'm born again
It feels like I'm living
It feels like I'm breathing
It feels like I'm moving"
once again, this time after time. I want to stay devoted- constantly, consistently, and forever.

Compete or Complement?

"The arguments against female executives who become mothers are not easily dismissed. On the other hand, might not the problem be in the way we have structured things in our society? While it is true that the woman becomes pregnant, it is not true that only she is a parent. Where is her husband? By what right does his life go on unchanged following the birth of his child while his wife is expected to significantly alter hers?" Everything You've Heard is Wrong Tony Campolo

Preach it Tony Campolo! It's so frustrating to be female sometimes because some people see us as weaker, dumber, and all around inferior. It's almost as if we're too competitive to understand that maybe God meant us to complement each other.

He Carries Me . ? !

I made a decision - today, God will be first. I cannot promise that I have placed him first in my heart yesterday, or will hold him in that lofty place tomorrow- but today I am and will. I'll be exploring what this means for a while I believe.

Looking for a specific Psalm someone mentioned the other day I ran across Psalm 68, loops of blue pen encircled verse 13 (NIV version) but now that I'm rereading it I really like verse 19 too- the whole Psalm is quite poetic...

May those who hate God melt like wax in a fire
Let the godly be glad in God's presence
He places the lonely in families and sets captives free
The very earth trembles before him
At his command abundant rains come to refresh
He provides the needy with a bountiful harvest

Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms.

My God, our God, is a God who cares. He really, truly cares about those who are in bondage, alone, hungry, and hurting - it is those who hate him, not the weak and impoverished, who will come to ruin at the end of tha day.

Who is this God who loves me enough to carry me in His arms? He is strong and he is gentle, he inspires fear in the fearless and comforts the inconsolable. You might already know this- but that's why I don't write for you - I write because God is showing me old things in new ways and tenderly opening my heart to him again and again.

"Do no wrong"

Satellites contain us
Traffic lights control us
Rockets shoot us up into the stars
Rockets shoot us up into the stars

Letters keep us posted
Numbers calculated
Nothing picks us up when we are down
Nothing picks us up when we are down

Complement the atmosphere
Fill the ground with all our tears
Dry them up to make it clear

~Thirteen Senses "Do No Wrong" lyrics

cHaNgE

For Lent I'm doing something different- I'll be posting on a different blogspot . I'll just be writing about what I am doing differently during Lent to draw closer to Jesus. This may include some Bible verses that impacted me that day, or it might not, we'll see. So follow the link if you want to read about my Lent commitment.

Sleepless Nights and Gorgeous Sights

Last night I went ice-skating around midnight, it was such a great time with God, and so serene. I told him I would read his word when I got back to the room; I get back, my roomie's in bed, the lights are out. So I read it for a little bit and work on my memory verse with a little booklight I have. I close it, the room is dark, it is almost two: I want to go to bed. I can't. Ended up grabbing my bible, pillow, and a sleeping bag and just went out into the hallway and slept. There was something so comforting about it. I know people probably think I'm weird for liking to sleep on the floor more than on beds- but I've always liked sleeping bags more. Anyways, I got some more Bible reading in out there and ran into some great things!

A story I really like from Acts is the one where a Jewish high priest is trying to go around casting out demons "In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out". So this day the evil spirit answers and says; "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you? The possessed man beats them up and they run out naked and bleeding. Now, what I've found is that stuff like that doesn't just happen for no reason at all- there's always a lesson behind it. The consequence? Everyone was seized with fear and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. Many who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds, then publicly burned their scrolls Acts 19:20 says, "In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power".

Wow! The fear of God (forgotten a lot nowadays)and holding Jesus' name in high honor can cause people to confess their evil deeds (in public nonetheless!)and lead to an actual change of action. Yup- that all happened, and spread the word of the Lord even further, and it grew even more in power. Incredible!

Remain True

Today I was reading about some followers going out to the Greeks to speak to them. The Lord's hand was with them, and guess what that meant? A great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. The Jerusalem church hears this and wants to see it- to hear about it- (is this legit?) so they send Barnabas. What did Barnabas do? Acts 11:23 tells us;

"When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts."

What is the evidence of grace? The Amplified says that Barnabas saw the favor God was bestowing upon them. God bestows his favor on those who love, obey, serve, and call on Him. This made Barnabas very joyful- so what did he do with his gladness? He encouraged them to stay just as devoted to God as they presently were. Sometimes we witness many come to Christ but forget that it is also so important to encourage them to REMAIN TRUE to the LORD! An initial acceptance of Jesus is no good if we don't remain true to Him, and with all our hearts- none of this half-hearted remaining true...