Memory Verse of the Week: Psalm 116:10

Psalm 116:10 (NKJV)
10 I believed, therefore I spoke,

“I am greatly afflicted.”

One of my catch phrases I need to stop saying is "ignore it and it will go away". I try to ignore problems in my life and suppress my feelings so I don't have to deal with them. In this Psalm, the Psalmist was on the verge of death and so he did the only thing he could do: call out to God for help. And God saved him! 

When he was afflicted, he admitted it. I belive this is an important verse to learn because a lot of times Christians will try to pretend like they have no problems because they believe they should be perfect and their lives should be perfect. That is simply not true. It's impossible. The Psalmist  knew he was in trouble, and he shared it with God. This is an example we should follow. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

No matter what your thanksgiving looks like, no matter what food is on the table or who sits around you, there is always a reason to give thanks.

 

Psalm 28:7- The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. (ESV)

 

God, Our Example of a Father

A commercial interrupts my YouTube marathon and I quickly skip over it at the five second mark. Ads are all over the websites I visit but I quickly skim over them. The signs are everywhere, yet they are so nonchalant I don’t really notice. If it were May no one could escape the impending holiday. But it’s June, which means Mother’s Day has passed and Father’s Day is here.

If you are reading this blog and reaching for your cell phone to check the date, don’t feel alone. Father’s Day sneaks up on you and before you know it you’re sitting at the dinner table with your dad awkwardly looking at you waiting for his present. Awkward…

It’s not hard to notice that Mother’s Day gets so much hype and Father’s Day just doesn’t. Most Mother’s Day church services praise mothers for sticking with their kids and encourage them to keep doing so. The service for Father’s Day, though, typically urges fathers to step up and stop ignoring their kids and stop slacking.

It seems logical that we should make a big deal out of Mother’s Day; after all we have a commandment to honor our parents. … But parents are plural. We have to honor both of them. So Father’s day should be just as big as Mother’s Day. God definitely believes fathers are important.

God calls Himself our Father:

Psalm 68:5(ESV) Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.

Isaiah 63:16(ESV) For you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us; you, O Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name

Romans 8:15(ESV) For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

The word “Abba” in Romans 8 most nearly equivocates to “daddy”. If God wants us to associate Him with our dads we know there must be something cool about the relationship of father and child.

Due to sin that relationship is broken like all other relationships. The only way anyone can experience a perfect father is from the one true Father who sent His Son down to earth to make us His children. On earth, however, we don’t always experience this sacrificial love from our fathers. But despite that, we are called to honor them, just like we do with our mothers. So let’s take a look at what the Biblical dad is. In the Bible a lot of times God explains His characters with the character of a father so we can learn something from those verses.

Fathers should:

Be Compassionate: Psalm 103:13(ESV) As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.

Help Us: Deuteronomy 1:29-31(ESV) Then I said to you, ‘Do not be in dread or afraid of them. The Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.

Teach in a loving way: Ephesians 6:4(ESV) Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Even if our fathers do not do any of those things we are called to honor and love them. This Father’s Day we shouldn’t drag our dads in a guilt trip, we should uplift them. Yes, they will never beat GOD, but through God, our fathers can be compassionate, help us, and raise us up to love God!
Just like for Mother's day I am posting a video to watch about Father's Day!

Memory Verse of the Week: Psalm 16:7-8

Psalm 16:7-8(ESV)

I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
God does not just sit on a cloud in the sky, urging for us to fall. He is our counselor, He tells us what to do and not to do. If we rely on God solely then nothing will be able to shake us. That's one of the many reasons we should praise Him: He instructs us because He loves us. In times of temptation, we need to rely on Him and put His word against that temptation. God never fails.

Memory Verse of the Week: Psalm 37:4

Psalm 37:4 (ESV)

Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

I had a conversation with my mom about this verse around a week ago and we both had two very different perspectives but we both agree that this verse could be used the wrong way. Although we said different stuff I believe what we both said was true.

My side: People may abuse this passage because they could say that it's saying God will give you any ting you want, i.e. a brand new car or all of the cloths you want. However I believe that when you delight in the Lord, the desires of your heart will be what He wants and you will want to please Him.

Mom's side: Mom believes that people can take what I said to an extreme and say that you can’t want any material things. But she knows that's not true. God does want to bless us, but He doesn’t want those things to take over your life and have a place above Him.

If you have any input on this verse comment below!

Guest Post: #Blessed

{Today's guest post is from my friend Maelyn! She's a sophomore at Baylor and was an "intern" at my church over the summer. Maelyn was also a leader at an awsome weekend retreat at my church. She has encouraged me like crazy and I hope this post encourages you too! She has allowed me to take a post from her beautiful blog (http://laughterloveandgod.wordpress.com) check it out!}

My friends & I made it home from Chilis #goodmeal #goodfriends #goodlife #blessed

**In case you didn’t know {Mom}, a hashtag is a category/topic/phrase used to define/describe/go along with whatever you post, see visual aid above.**

I am an avid social media user. I am particularly passionate about Instagram.

Instagram is cool because it makes me feel cool {yes. I did just say that}. It takes simple meals I’ve microwaved, the sunrise seen from my window, the cup{s} of I coffee consume, and makes them look 74829374239x cooler than before. Basically, it takes normal, little things, and makes them a bigger deal.

Lately, I’ve noticed how #blessed has been popping up all over my news feeds.

Some people think it’s a problem. Or just think it’s overused. I myself contribute to this excessive #blessed-ing.

“Ran into this beauty at the library, haven’t seen her in ages! #blessed”

“Worshipping under the stars with fellow Baylor students #blessed”

“Got to sleep in 15 extra minutes this morning #blessed”

I think maybe the reason social media users are weary of #blessed is because they don’t think pictures or statuses posted include authentic blessings. At least, that is sometimes how I feel.

But today, as I was walking to class in the rain with my Rangers ball cap on, inadvertently smiling to myself because 1) I love hats 2)  I love rain 3) it was a beautiful combination of the two, I had an epiphany.

Who  am I to judge how someone feels blessed? No, Instagrammer, you can’t feel blessed during an 8 mile run. You can only feel blessed by {insert medium here: the sunrise, baking warm cookies, cheering your team on, etc.}

Now doesn’t that just sound silly?

God made us differently. We love Him and feel His love in different ways. We hear His voice, are aware of His presence, and see His work in our lives in ways that are unique to us. It’s like God has a specific love language for each and every one of us.

I feel God’s love most when I am in nature. Sunsets, hikes, stars, lightning, oceans,  they all get me. But I also feel God’s love when something spontaneously makes my day: a class is cancelled, a friend brings me breakfast, I was able to squeeze in a power nap. I also feel God’s love through people: reuniting with a long lost friend, engaging in a Spirit-led conversation with my small group, etc.

All of these things make me feel #blessed. But you may not feel #blessed by nature, or by naps, or by talking. You may feel #blessed through serving others, or receiving gifts, or alone time.

God is a straight up genius. He wired us in distinct ways. He knows our wiring so well, He knows us so well. He knows how to speak to us, to love us, to inspire us, to still us, to grab our attention.

The God of the World knows me, He loves me, and He wants me to know I am loved. That makes me feel #blessed.

O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. Psalm 139:1