Music Monday: Ready Set Go by Royal Tailor

The song today not only has an awesome beat but a great message. Royal Tailor reminds us to not focus on us and our needs because there are people out there who need grace too. Because God saved us, He gives us a passion to go out and help those who are hurting too.

Guest Post: God Gives Hope

{This is the first Guest Post on God's Grace! My good friend Hope [disclaimer: Hope is not her real name] has been gracious enough to share her beautiful story on my blog! I hope that her story can encourage all of you!} 
 

When I started high school, I had no idea what to expect. I was transitioning from a private school with 75 eighth graders to public high school with over a thousand freshmen. With no friends there, it was a really daunting thing.

Then, my friends gradually starting fighting and falling apart. Of course, I was always stuck in the middle which is a difficult thing.

One of my friends started going through depression and I was the only one she trusted enough to tell everything to. Mixed with my own loneliness and past pains, it pushed me into my own depression.

It was a really dark time. I couldn't really sleep. I barely ate at all. I started doubting my self-worth and God's love for me.

That led to me cutting myself several times. I didn't cut really big; I didn't want people to notice and say anything about it. I even started considering suicide. I thought no one would REALLY care if I was gone.

This went on for several months. I continued to go to church, but it was just to appease my parents and it felt pretty empty to me. I never wanted to be around anyone, especially Christians; I thought that if they knew what was going on, they would judge me and hate me.

At Easter time, I went to a special service with my family. My church always does something really big.

This time, they paired up with Pixar to come up with some really cool special effects. It showed the outside of an old, charming old house. Then they showed the inside, and it was a disgusting mess. With the music, that really touched my heart. I walked out in tears.

Somewhere between Easter and summer, my mom found out about me cutting myself. She sent me to counseling, which made me feel like there was something wrong with me. But when I went, it actually helped quite a bit. The counselor read 1 Kings 18:28 and Jeremiah 29:11 to me and that really hit home.

After that, I kept coming coming across Jeremiah 29:11 and it kept me going. 

I still didn't really like going to church though, especially the student service. But somehow, I got roped into going to the summer camp that my church has for high schoolers. I was dreading spending a week at the beach with hundreds of people that I didn't know.

It turns out, that God would use that camp to change my life. The people I met were amazing, the services were incredible, and the music was inspiring. I decided to rededicate my life to Christ. I called my mom in the middle of the night to tell her and we cried together.

In front of hundreds, possibly thousands, of people, I was re-baptized in the ocean.

Since then, I've met wonderful new friends and repaired some of my old relationships as well. I have found my calling and will follow God's purpose for my life.

I would tell anyone who is going through depression that they're not alone. There are others that have gone through what they have and God loves them very much, and he cries every time we hurt.

Life doesn't get better, but God makes us stronger so that we can move mountains. 

Memory Verse Wednesday: Mark 11:24

A lot of people misuse this verse so I am glad Ally suggested we do it this week.
Mark 11:24 (ESV)
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Jesus is talking in this passage and it is during the last week of His life. Loads of people will pick this verse out of the Bible and declare that whatever they demand God to give them, He will. But guess what, God isn't our servant although Jesus did come down to serve us. God doesn't do our bidding and just wait around for our prayers. In the same paragraph of this verse, Jesus orders His disciples to have faith in God. If we have faith in God, we will want our prayers to line up with His will instead of our wants. So this week while I pray I am going to try to pray less selfish prayers and yield more to God's will.
Memorizing Verse Tip:

• Write it down. Everywhere. In you journals, your school papers, your hand (OK, my Mother doesn't like me doodling on my had so maybe you shouldn't do that one).

Music Monday: King's Kaleidoscope

I love finding new Christian artist to jam out to and last week (while I should have been asleep) I found one of my new favorite bands. The band is called King's Kaleidoscope and they describe themselves as “organized chaos”. That’s one thing I love about them. They have so many instruments playing in their music yet they make it work.

The band released a new ep last week and for a week its free on their website (http://badchristian.com/band/kings-kaleidoscope/). I downloaded it and am so in love with all of them and their great messages that I am going to feature all of them! Strap on your seat belts and prepare for awesomeness.

 

1. Fix My Eyes

This song goes over how Christ went through unimaginable suffering to get us and then how we, being in a relationship with Him, will go through struggles also. It reminds us to just focus on Him because He is worth it.

2.       Felix Culpa

If you have never heard of the term Felix Culpa you are not alone. In short it means “Fortunate Fall”. The song talks about how the positive of the Fall of Man is that we got to experience God’s beautiful grace. (PS. This is my favorite song on the ep and the bridge hits me every time.)

 

3.       Seek Your Kingdom

Read Matthew 6: 25-35 while listening to this song. It will make the experience by knowing where they the inspiration for the lyrics.

 

4.       Defender

Their fourth song on the album reminds us that we seriously do not have to be afraid if God is with us. He is our defender.

5.       Be Thou My Vision

This famous hymn is singing out to God to keep our eyes on Him and remember how wonderful He is.  

 

6.       Higher Throne

Higher Throne started out as my least favorite (because I am sometimes too impatient for slow songs) but it has shifted into one of my favorites. It just screams out the beauty of God and how our lives were made to center around Him.

 I would hope that you would all check this great band out and support them by downloading their new ep (it is free after all).

Jesus VS Westley

I love movies made in the 80s and 90s however I am very behind at the same time because I just saw the Princess Bride. (You may now gasp in horror.)  It was Ah-mazing. If you have not seen the movie and hate spoilers, I would suggest you stop reading. Seriously.

All the things Wes and Buttercup (mostly Wes) went through to stay together was as sweet as a cavity. The farm boy named Wes “died” but even death shouldn’t stop his love for Buttercup. He battled three men to rescue her, went through a terrifying wood filled with fire, quicksand, and giant rodents only to have her taken away from him again. Wes was then thrown in a dungeon where he really did die, but luckily he lived (I hope you get the reference). And after going through all of that Westley saved his princess bride.

Their love story was so cute I found a thought filling my head: I wonder if a guy will ever love me like that and go through all that junk to get me.

Instantly I shot that notion down with a higher one: I DO have a guy who loves me more than Wes.

His name is Jesus. Allow me to introduce you to Him.

John 1:1-5 (NKJV)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

There is something really crucial to catch here in order to begin understanding Him: Jesus didn’t start when He was born of a virgin. HE IS GOD. In Revelation it says He is the Alpha and the Omega, He is the beginning and the end. So already Jesus trumps Wes because Wes can not breathe out life.

Well how does this Jesus love me? Let me count the ways. For starters HE made me. That’s pretty sweet. But I’m not. I sin and I am not perfect on account of that whole free will thing. So I couldn’t be with Him. I was His enemy. That is not OK. Like the Bryan and Katie Torwalt song says: I was made for love, I was made for loving Him.

So Jesus did something. He did something drastic. He became human. He wrote Himself into His story in order to get me back because I was too weak to. But He didn’t care about my weakness, He wanted me back.

Jesus came down to earth to live a perfect sinless life, to be a servant but He had one thing in mind: getting His creation back. So He did. However, unlike Wes’ death, Christ died on purpose.

He was betrayed by one of his followers and forsaken by His disciples. He was put on a trial with the sentence pre-decided. He was scourged (which meant men took a whip with cords coming out of it that have glass and bones attached to the ends and beat my Savior until you could see bone). He was struck in the head with a reed. He was spat on. He was mocked. He had a thorn crown cut through His scalp. He had his hands and feet nailed to a cross I should have been on. He cried out to God. He died.

Because Jesus loves.

But He didn’t stay dead, He rose from the dead. That’s amazing!

And Jesus did all of that because I couldn’t. Because I was weak. Because I sin and my “good works” don’t outweigh my bad. In fact, my “good works” are like filthy rags. But my Love, my Savior, my Healer, my Provider, my Perfect Lamb, my Shepherd, my Lord, and my God did all of that so I could have a relationship with Him.

Jesus however didn’t just do that for me. He died for everyone. So that everyone who repents and believes in Him will have the free gift of eternal life.

Jesus trumps Westley, no contest.

Now allow me to just spam you with verses about God’s love:

Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV)

 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; 

his mercies never come to an end;
 they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

Psalm 36:7 (ESV)

How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

Psalm 32:10 (ESV)

 Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.

Psalm 94:18 (ESV)

 When I thought, “My foot slips,”
your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.

Psalm 147:10-11 (ESV)

His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
 but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.

Romans 5:8 (ESV)

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

(If you would like to start a relationship with this Man whose love is unmatchable then you can visit my  How to Have a Relationship With Jesus Page or contact me at godsgrace129@gmail.com.)

Memory Verse Wednesday: Colossians 3:17

Today's verse is one I myself definitely need to be more mindful of:

Colossians 3:17-And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

A lot of times I will complain and have a bad attitude when I am forced to do a particularly vigorous task. Since God's word commands us to do everything without murmuring or complaining I already shouldn't be doing that. However saying verses like this gives me a new perspective. Like if I am doing dishes late at night because I procrastinated all week I will tell myself "pretend like you're washing God's dishes".
I hope you will memorize this verse with me too this week.
Here is another tip for memorizing scripture:

• I change my phone wallpaper to the verse so that every time I do something on my phone I can easily read through the verse

Music Monday: Count Your Rainbows

For today’s Music Monday (even though today is technically  Tuesday!) we are featuring a band called 1 Girl Nation and their song Count Your Rainbows. Not to be confused with 1D, 1GN is a Christian Contemporary-Power-Pop rock band that had their debut album on August 20, 2013.

Everyone should really check out their website (http://www.1girlnation.com/) and listen to their song Count your Rainbows. The lyrics remind us that although we go through some really tough seasons in our life, God is always there to get you through it.

How Do You Know

“How do you know? You’ve never seen me without makeup.”

I blink at my friend and quickly replay what I just told her: “You’re pretty with or without makeup.”

Have I seen her without makeup? I wonder then quickly replay the past few months I have known her.  Nope, no images of her without makeup pop up in my head. This is awkward… and I’ve been quiet for too long. What do I say? Should I tell her she’s pretty because God made her or should I just keep quiet?

“Uh… well I just know,” I mumble, barely audible, but she’s already gone back to talking to someone else. Opportunity to encourage missed. I sigh and look down at my schoolwork trying to forget the whole thing.

However sadly with me I either forget something entirely (like the majority of my childhood. Don’t ask) or dread on it for weeks or months or even years. Please pray for me. Anyway this was one of those things that I remembered and pondered over. Did I really know if she was “pretty” and what should I have said to her?

First I thought of the word “pretty”. The dictionary defines it as:

1. with pleasant face: having an attractive pleasant face that is graceful and appealing rather than outstandingly beautiful
2. nice to look at: pleasing or charming in a delicate, gentle, or decorative way

But honestly none of that matters. The culture of today honestly defines what “pretty” is but culture changes. I’ve learned in World History that back in the day (way before the 21^st century) Russian woman painted their teeth black. That was the style and that was “pretty”. In China women would do something called “foot binding” to look pretty. Google that if you want to be scared for life. So “pretty” is a cultural and time thing. It changes constantly like the seasons so no one can really keep up. But that’s not what I would have told my friend, even though that’s true.

This is what I would have told her and it’s what I would tell anyone else:

“When God shaped you in the womb he did not say ‘Oh wow, every other person I have created turned out great but this one is… well this one is just wrong. But I guess since I’ve come this far I’ll let her be born and live among the common. But she can only go out in public if she puts cosmetics on her messed up face.’ He just wouldn’t say that because it wouldn’t be true. God is perfect and makes no mistakes. Every human is beautiful because they are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) and He Himself IS BEAUTY. He is perfect.”

That’s what I should have told her.

Psalm 139:13-14

 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.

I am not going to say that makeup is bad and I’m not going to say people shouldn’t care about what they look like because we should want to look nice. However that being said we can’t let our looks be everything because guess what. Age happens. Wrinkles appear. Butts sag. That’s life. And I know this statement is like totally over used but “it’s what’s on the inside that counts”.  But don’t take that from me, take it from God.

1 Peter 3:3-4

 Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—  but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.

Proverbs 31:30

 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

1 Samuel 16:7b

For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."

So if God’s not all that concerned with how people dress themselves up, I don’t want to be either. It’s easier to temporarily make myself “look good” but I want a challenge so I’m going to do two things:

1.      Stop looking at people’s outward appearance and getting jealous of what they have and what I lack. I’m going to start focusing on people’s hearts like God does, because hearts don’t sag.

2.      I’m going to start beautifying my heart and fill it with the fruits of the spirit. I’m going to let the inside beauty shine.

All of this changing from the inside out is a battle that will take a lot of time and prayer. But knowing is half the battle. And I know something a lot of people don’t: People are made in the image of God. That’s how I know everyone is beautiful without makeup.

Memory Verse Wednesday

Memorizing scripture is super important for Christians. We need Gods word to live as Jesus said in Matthew 4. Knowing what the Bible says can help during times of temptation and we can know what to help our friends in different situations. Because of that Ally and I decided to pick out verses each week to memorize and we think you should join along too!

This week's pick is Romans 5:6-8
 

Romans 5:6-8 (ESV)
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
 

I love this verse. It reminds us of God's unconditional love. How even though we don't deserve it, God still loves us and Jesus still died for us! This verse helps remind us that salvation isn't anything we could do, it's all God because we ourselves are too weak to save ourselves!

Some helpful ways to memorize scripture:

• Read and reread the verse 
• Say it out loud 
• Write it on flash cards and carry then around or put them on your bathroom mirror 

We hope this helped and we hope you will memorize Romans 5:6-8 with us this week! 

If you have any ideas on how to memorize verse coment below!

Today Grace and I decided to start something new here on God's Grace called Music Mondays! Music of course is one of the most influential things in our life, and we thought we would let you know of some great Christian songs we've heard recently that will really lift your spirits and take a closer look at God. 

Kari Jobe “Forever”

You may have heard of Kari Jobe before, her “Revelation Song” literally gives me goose bumps, and can make anyone want to praise God no matter where they are, and the same thing happens when you listen to her new song, “Forever”. The song is pure worship at its greatest and reminds you of how God is never-ending, and gives remarkable reasons why He deserves our utmost praise. 

Hillsong United “Scandal of Grace”

When first reading this title I was a little confused, but once listening to the song it all made sense. Hillsong United was not giving grace a negative connotation at all, but simply letting the word grace stand for Jesus, and how he died on the cross for our sins, showing how at the time his spread of the gospel was appalling to those who did not believe. Through Jesus we have received grace, that in actuality we did not deserve, but praise God that he loves us so much he would do something so indescribable to deliver us from our sins.  

Love Your Enemies

I stand awkwardly holding my backpack straps thanking God that all of the students have already left their fifth period Child Development classroom. It’s just me and the substitute I have secretly complained about behind her back for four weeks. Joy.

“I need to apologize,” I mutter, staring at her nose because looking at someone face on makes me nervous and like 17% more awkward.

She laughs with the same laugh that’s annoyed me for weeks, “For what?”

“I have been really disrespectful to you these past weeks and I needed to say I was sorry.”

“Now who told you to do that?” She inquires with another chuckle.

“No one, I just need to,” I tell her glancing down at my hard cover Bible.

“Oh, good,” she smiles, “I guess you got convicted. I’ve been praying that you students would apologize.”

And then she embarrasses me in one of the most awkward side hugs of my life.

This whole conversation was a perfect example of God working through awful situations caused by yours truly. I had two options at the start of this semester. Two very simple options:

1.      Be respectful to this difficult substitute teacher

2.      Don’t respect her, but instead have a bad attitude about everything and complain to her behind her back

I guess you can guess which one I chose. But I’m getting ahead of myself. First I need to explain how God got me to apologize.

It all started the night before when I was reading God’s word. I’ve read a big part of Matthew already and the passage where Jesus is in Galilee is one of my favorites so imagine my surprise when I finally realized I had been missing the whole point of that section.

Matthew 5:43-44 (NKJV)

 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,”

As I read my Savior’s words it occurred to me that I wasn’t doing that. I wasn’t loving my neighbor AND enemies. You see, I am taking a class this semester but my school didn’t hire a teacher (I don’t even want to talk about how totally unprofessional that is) so for the first five and a half weeks of the semester I was stuck with two subs. One was ok; the other… to put it kindly I couldn’t stand her and all of my friends knew that because I complained ALL THE TIME. That was not o.k. I was being super disrespectful to her behind her back and building up such ugly anger towards that woman. This shouldn’t be so. I’m supposed to be an ambassador for Christ and show the grace God shows the whole world instead of giving the sub a hard time.

So I talked to God about it and repented for acting like such a brat but I still had one more thing to do.

An apology had to be made. But there was a problem.

The night I read that passage was the day the sub had left and our teacher (finally) came. That meant the apology wouldn’t be made to her face. Well, that’s what it would have meant except God has a special way of making everything turn out perfectly.

The next day all of the teachers on the third floor of the athletic building were out for a meeting so guess what? All four of those classes had subs! Although I didn’t have her as my sub, I went looking for her on the third floor (like a stalker) and thanks to God I was able to apologize!

God’s word got to me at just the right time to make His glory shine and I am so glad He did. Even though it took me a year to really understand what God was trying to tell me in that Matthew passage, I am ecstatic that I finally got it. All of those commands Jesus gives of how we should live aren’t things to do to get to heaven or be a “good person” because the only reason we can get to heaven is through Jesus alone. He tells us these things because it’s how we should behave once saved. We should want to obey God’s words to bring glory and honor to Him and to show the grace and love He has showed us.

Have you guys ever had a new revelation about God's Word? Comment Below!