Hello again everyone! I pray that all is going well and everyone is blessed. I was going to write about the significance of names last week, but the Lord had me write a little more then I was expecting to write, so I decided to split it up! Last week I wrote about Jacob wrestling with the Lord and how we need to fight for our blessings, whether it be looking after the Lord, or taking it from circumstances in your life or from the devil himself. This week, I'm going to focus more on how Jacob's name was changed to Israel.
The first verses I would like to highlight is Genesis 25:24-26 which deals with the birth of Jacob and his brother Esau. "24 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 25 The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. 26 After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau's heel; so he was named Jacob." Jacob literally means "he grasps his heel". Imagine a man on the floor and he's grabbing your heels. When you try to walk, what happens? Either he is dragged around with you wherever you walk, draining your energy or you fall down. That's why Jacob "he grasps his heels" figuratively means "he deceives."
If you continue to read the story found in Genesis about Jacob, you find that the character of Jacob is a deceiving one. First of all, he steals the birthright of his brother as the firstborn twice! Then he works 21 years for his father-in-law, Laban. In the last seven years of working for his father-in-law, he promised to take the spot and speckled livestock (in other words, the blemished ones) as payment for his work. While working for him, he began to tend all of Laban's livestock, and, with some tricky maneuvers, steals the good livestock and gives Laban the weak livestock. Then he flees from Laban, taking his wife and children with him, and his livestock (at least he left Laban's livestock) without giving word to Laban. Finally, he reaches that river where he must cross and meet his brother, Esau, who wasn't the happiest with him, and he wrestles with God. That is where the Lord changes his name to Israel. The meaning of the name Israel means "wrestles with God."
Why would the Lord care to change the name of Jacob? It's just a name. Let's put it in literal terms. Hey, deceiver! It's time for lunch. Hello, my name is deceiver. I bless you, deceiver, in the name of the Lord. It's not just a name. To an extent, it's who you are.
Now lets look at the history of Israel. I don't know how much of the Bible everyone knows, but the Bible is not just some book that Christians swing around. It's a history book, the history of the nation of Israel. All throughout the history of Israel, you see Israel struggling to stay in the will of the Lord. First, under the command of Moses in Exodus to Deuteronomy. Then with trying to conquer the region of Canaan in Joshua. Then we see in the book of Judges the people of Israel constantly serve God until the death of the standing judge, then they fall into idol worship, back into the hands of God when the next judge comes into power, and then back to idol worship. We see the same problems when they asked the judge Samuel for a king in the books of Samuel. Then the same thing when they're ruled by the kings in the books of Chronicles and Kings, and in the prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah and the other prophets. And finally, we see their rebellion when they stumble over their own law and execute the Christ, the very man who came to save them. And even to this day they stand and continue to wrestle with God.
What about God? What about His names? He has hundreds and hundreds of names. You can tell me if each of these names describe who He is. Jehovah Jireh, the provider. Jehovah Nissi, the Lord is my banner. Jehovah Shalom, prince of peace. Jehovah Rapha, our Healer. Immanuel, God with us. Might Savior, our Horn of Strength, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, our councellor, our Heavenly Father, Awesome God, our Rock, our Fortress, the Lamb, the Messiah, the Christ, OUR EVERYTHING! "I AM WHO I AM" (Exodus 3:14) He is all you need. Who else is like our God? There is no one like Him. There is no god like Him, there is no one like my Rock and my Salvation.
What about you? What is your name? My name is James Alexander Hood. If you look up the meaning of my names, James is English for "He who supplants" and is ironically derived from the name Jacob. To supplant means to replace. The name Alexander means "defender of man, warrior." So I am the replacement defender of man in the Hood! All jokes aside though, every name has a meaning, and people often do not really seem to mind calling their children some interesting things. In First Chronicles 4:9, a boy was called Jabez, which is Hebrew for pain. Isn't that nice?
I believe that God gives us new names. Jesus changed the name of Simon (to hear, or to be heard) to Peter (rock) in Matthew 16:17-18. In doing so, He changed Peter's life and his purpose, and he became one of the greatest leaders of the early church. Your name today on this earth, the one your mother may have given you, is not the name the Lord has given you. I believe I have a different name. I am not a replacement defender of man, but I am a conqueror of man, a shepherd, and a worshipper in spirit and in truth. Most importantly of all, I am a servant of Christ. Now I pose to you a question. What is your name? What do you think God has given you as a name? Before you rush and post a comment with what you think your name is, I want you to go before the Lord and ask Him to reveal to you what name He has given you. I can assure you, something will come up that will tell you what your name is. Once you've done that, go ahead and comment and let us know =) God bless everyone, and may He keep you safe in the shadow of His wings.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Cheap Grace
I signed up for an e-mail subscription at gracecreates.com. I received this one today and simply touched me. I felt a strong urge to share. To subscribe, just go to gracecreates.com :-)
Posted: 05 Oct 2010 12:00 AM PDT
By Jon WalkerThen neither do I condemn you … Go now and leave your life of sin. John 8:11
— — —
“Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession.”—Dietrich Bonhoeffer— — —
By cheap grace, Bonhoeffer means the arrogant presumption that we can receive forgiveness for our sins, yet never abandon our lives to Jesus. We assume, since grace is free, there is no cost associated with the free gift.The gift is free, but Jesus paid a bloody price to offer us the gift. The gift is free, but that doesn’t mean there is no cost to following Jesus once we step into his grace.
Costly grace justifies the sinner—Go and sin no more. Cheap grace justifies the sin—Everything is forgiven, so you can stay as you are.
To assume that God’s grace is nothing more than a way to “get out of jail free” undermines the kingly crown of thorns Jesus wore on the cross. We do not receive God’s grace to make us feel better about ourselves while we live in this world; rather, God gives it in order for us to enter into the kingdom of heaven even as we live in this world.
Jesus rescued the woman caught in adultery from certain death, but his expectation was that her life would change immediately. To return to her old life would have mocked the very grace that Jesus gave that day. His expectation of a changed life is no different for us: “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Jacob Wrestles with God
Hello everyone!
It’s been quite some time since I’ve written something, however, the Lord revealed something to me that I am going to post here. It’s actually something that is widely preached in churches across the globe, including a preaching by my old pastor. However, I’m going to point out two different things in the story. The first is to fight for your blessing, even if you think it’s a losing fight. The second, the significance of names. You can find the story in Genesis 32:22-32.
The Bible speaks of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham. Earlier in history, Abraham was promised by God that his children would be ‘…as the dust of the of the earth..’ (Gen 13:15) Jacob is the heir to this blessing, and God often times would speak to him and constantly remind him of this blessing. Ah yes, a side-note. The meaning of the name “Jacob” is ‘he who grabs his heel’ figuratively meaning ‘he deceives.’ Jacob was fleeing from his father-in-law, Laban, because the Lord had ordered Jacob to return to the house of his father, Isaac, and his brother, Esau (who, earlier in Genesis, he deceived and took his birthright as the firstborn, and with it the inheritance of his father, which was the blessing given to Abraham) Esau wasn’t happy about this. Imagine that your father willed all of his property, all of his power and authority to you because you were meant to received the blessing as the firstborn. Imagine that your younger brother were to go into your fathers room the night before his death and changed his will to his name. That was the story of Esau and Jacob in simpler terms. Jacob was in utter terror of the wrath of his brother, who was waiting across the river, and he split his possessions and his family into two groups and sent them across the river to camp for the night. In the night, a man came out of nowhere and began to wrestle with Jacob. The battle was so fierce that they wrestled together until the breaking of dawn! Jacob was lifting those weights at home alright! Now who would like to be as strong as Jacob?! Just kidding.
Finally, the man dislocated Jacob’s hip, but Jacob still refused to let go. Finally, the man asked Jacob to let him go, and Jacob refused to let him go until he blessed him! Jacob obviously knew that this random man who had come from nowhere and started wrestling him was someone from the Lord. Do you know who this random someone from the Lord is? Some think it was an angel. I strongly believe it was Jesus. The first thing you need to do is identify who, what, or why you’re fighting someone. The minute Jacob locked into battle with this man, he knew who he was, he knew what he wanted, and he was fighting for this reason. The Lord chose to fight against him to test Jacob and his determination to follow Him. Do you know what the Lord asked Jacob? “What is your name?” That’s a silly question to ask. “Jacob.” Then the man said “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” From that day forward, the people of God, God’s chosen people, were now called Israel. Israel literally means ‘wrestles with God.’ Jacob then asks for the name of the man, who tells him “Why is it that you ask my name?” and then he blessed him. Why would Jacob need to ask the name of the man when he knew who he was going against? Jacob called the place “Peniel” which means “Face of God,” and then crossed over the river limping because the Lord has dislocated his hip.
Something about the hip that my old pastor told the congregation that I found was interesting is that when one has their hip dislocated where Jacob did, the person is forced to drag the leg which was dislocated. When Jacob walked, he had to drag his leg behind him, leaving a trail where he walked. When you fight for and with the Lord to gain your blessing, no matter what you’re fighting to gain in life, you leave a trail. You may leave several trails. Perhaps one for others to follow in your footsteps, perhaps one on the hearts of people’s lives, perhaps in a place, or perhaps in the entire course of history. Regardless of where you leave your trail, no matter how small it was, from cleaning a single stroller for a child to enjoy their day in Walt Disney World, or something as large as leading a congregation of people to Christ, your legacy will be one that will forever mark peoples’ lives here on earth, and wage war in the spiritual realm against spirits of dark forces for the Glory of His name. I encourage all of you to do everything that you do in excellence, as if you were to be doing it for the Lord. Always remember that “from the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” (Matthew 11:12) You have to fight for the blessing the Lord has for you, no matter what it is. You have to be violent! In the spiritual realm, the demons will not move out of your way if you say “Mr. Demon, can you please move out of my way.” You have to fight him! Jacob did not rest until he was blessed, and although he was wrestling with the Lord, he was forceful to take his blessing. In the same way, we have put aside our fears and trust in the Lord, our Rock and our Salvation. In Him you will find victory, not matter how difficult the battle.
It’s ironic that recently I have been studying American history, because this quote just entered my mind. “The summer soilder and the sunshine patriot will shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands now deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” Thomas Paine – The Crisis. People will rise against you, your faith, you’re actions; but God is more powerful than anything that can stand against you. And as long as you are walking in Christ, He will open doors for you that you thought were walls. He’ll level a mountain if you cry out to Him with the faith and ask. The gates of hell can open up outside your very home, and when they try to seize everything you have, will they find a worshipper in spirit and a warrior who takes the Kingdom of Heaven by force? I’d like to have everyone listen to a song..
With Everything – Hillsong United
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUsLF0305UM
The funny thing about that song is that it’s live. It’s amazing how the singers, the crew, the audience, everyone was all in perfect unison. Do you know how difficult it is to get twenty people to sing in unison? It’s bordering impossible. Do you know how many people were there? Twenty thousand people were at that gathering. “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20) I think I’ll save the significance of names for next week. I have to do a little more research for it, and it’s going to take some time to go over the story of Jacob and the story of other men of the Lord that I’m going to find. I’m going to try to post something at least once a week, and I would like it if everyone tries to post something weekly as well. Remember, as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. Also remember, do everything that you do for the glory of Christ’s name. Not for James, not for Billy, not for Pablo the Penguin, but for our Lord and savior. God bless =)
It’s been quite some time since I’ve written something, however, the Lord revealed something to me that I am going to post here. It’s actually something that is widely preached in churches across the globe, including a preaching by my old pastor. However, I’m going to point out two different things in the story. The first is to fight for your blessing, even if you think it’s a losing fight. The second, the significance of names. You can find the story in Genesis 32:22-32.
The Bible speaks of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham. Earlier in history, Abraham was promised by God that his children would be ‘…as the dust of the of the earth..’ (Gen 13:15) Jacob is the heir to this blessing, and God often times would speak to him and constantly remind him of this blessing. Ah yes, a side-note. The meaning of the name “Jacob” is ‘he who grabs his heel’ figuratively meaning ‘he deceives.’ Jacob was fleeing from his father-in-law, Laban, because the Lord had ordered Jacob to return to the house of his father, Isaac, and his brother, Esau (who, earlier in Genesis, he deceived and took his birthright as the firstborn, and with it the inheritance of his father, which was the blessing given to Abraham) Esau wasn’t happy about this. Imagine that your father willed all of his property, all of his power and authority to you because you were meant to received the blessing as the firstborn. Imagine that your younger brother were to go into your fathers room the night before his death and changed his will to his name. That was the story of Esau and Jacob in simpler terms. Jacob was in utter terror of the wrath of his brother, who was waiting across the river, and he split his possessions and his family into two groups and sent them across the river to camp for the night. In the night, a man came out of nowhere and began to wrestle with Jacob. The battle was so fierce that they wrestled together until the breaking of dawn! Jacob was lifting those weights at home alright! Now who would like to be as strong as Jacob?! Just kidding.
Finally, the man dislocated Jacob’s hip, but Jacob still refused to let go. Finally, the man asked Jacob to let him go, and Jacob refused to let him go until he blessed him! Jacob obviously knew that this random man who had come from nowhere and started wrestling him was someone from the Lord. Do you know who this random someone from the Lord is? Some think it was an angel. I strongly believe it was Jesus. The first thing you need to do is identify who, what, or why you’re fighting someone. The minute Jacob locked into battle with this man, he knew who he was, he knew what he wanted, and he was fighting for this reason. The Lord chose to fight against him to test Jacob and his determination to follow Him. Do you know what the Lord asked Jacob? “What is your name?” That’s a silly question to ask. “Jacob.” Then the man said “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” From that day forward, the people of God, God’s chosen people, were now called Israel. Israel literally means ‘wrestles with God.’ Jacob then asks for the name of the man, who tells him “Why is it that you ask my name?” and then he blessed him. Why would Jacob need to ask the name of the man when he knew who he was going against? Jacob called the place “Peniel” which means “Face of God,” and then crossed over the river limping because the Lord has dislocated his hip.
Something about the hip that my old pastor told the congregation that I found was interesting is that when one has their hip dislocated where Jacob did, the person is forced to drag the leg which was dislocated. When Jacob walked, he had to drag his leg behind him, leaving a trail where he walked. When you fight for and with the Lord to gain your blessing, no matter what you’re fighting to gain in life, you leave a trail. You may leave several trails. Perhaps one for others to follow in your footsteps, perhaps one on the hearts of people’s lives, perhaps in a place, or perhaps in the entire course of history. Regardless of where you leave your trail, no matter how small it was, from cleaning a single stroller for a child to enjoy their day in Walt Disney World, or something as large as leading a congregation of people to Christ, your legacy will be one that will forever mark peoples’ lives here on earth, and wage war in the spiritual realm against spirits of dark forces for the Glory of His name. I encourage all of you to do everything that you do in excellence, as if you were to be doing it for the Lord. Always remember that “from the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” (Matthew 11:12) You have to fight for the blessing the Lord has for you, no matter what it is. You have to be violent! In the spiritual realm, the demons will not move out of your way if you say “Mr. Demon, can you please move out of my way.” You have to fight him! Jacob did not rest until he was blessed, and although he was wrestling with the Lord, he was forceful to take his blessing. In the same way, we have put aside our fears and trust in the Lord, our Rock and our Salvation. In Him you will find victory, not matter how difficult the battle.
It’s ironic that recently I have been studying American history, because this quote just entered my mind. “The summer soilder and the sunshine patriot will shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands now deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” Thomas Paine – The Crisis. People will rise against you, your faith, you’re actions; but God is more powerful than anything that can stand against you. And as long as you are walking in Christ, He will open doors for you that you thought were walls. He’ll level a mountain if you cry out to Him with the faith and ask. The gates of hell can open up outside your very home, and when they try to seize everything you have, will they find a worshipper in spirit and a warrior who takes the Kingdom of Heaven by force? I’d like to have everyone listen to a song..
With Everything – Hillsong United
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUsLF0305UM
The funny thing about that song is that it’s live. It’s amazing how the singers, the crew, the audience, everyone was all in perfect unison. Do you know how difficult it is to get twenty people to sing in unison? It’s bordering impossible. Do you know how many people were there? Twenty thousand people were at that gathering. “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20) I think I’ll save the significance of names for next week. I have to do a little more research for it, and it’s going to take some time to go over the story of Jacob and the story of other men of the Lord that I’m going to find. I’m going to try to post something at least once a week, and I would like it if everyone tries to post something weekly as well. Remember, as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. Also remember, do everything that you do for the glory of Christ’s name. Not for James, not for Billy, not for Pablo the Penguin, but for our Lord and savior. God bless =)
Monday, September 6, 2010
Luke 20:17-18
"Then he looked at them and said, 'What then is this that is written:
"The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone"?
Whomever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."
Luke 20:17-18
Hello everyone! I haven't had a chance to post anything recently, although I've been inspired of the Lord to deliver this message. I've been thinking about what to post for quite some time, and actually this verse was the first verse to come into my mind. And I said to myself, "No.. This verse was difficult for me to understand, and it was difficult for me to grasp what it truly meant, how am I going to even post such a thing on a public blog to others?" And I thought of other things to write about. Ironically, as of late my laptop has failed me, and along with it's failure all of my documents, all of my writtings that I have written for myself in the past, and I could not find the other writing I had in my notebook. And I simply could not come up with anything else to speak of. This is something completely new, something I have not writen about in the past, although I believe the Lord had revealed it's meaning and a few things I can leave you all with.
These words were spoken by Jesus himself. You can find them in the verse I wrote of at the beginning. Anyways, in His preaching he quoted a Scripture that leads back to Psalms 118:22, a prophecy of what the Jews would do to the coming Messiah. "The stone the builders(the priest) rejected.." leading up to say that he would become the Chief Cornerstone. Why the chief cornerstone? What is it? So I went on Google and googled the term 'cornerstone' and came up with this on yourdictionary.com:a stone that forms the corner of the building; especially a foundation stone of this kind often inscribed, laid at a ceremony that marks the beginning of a building. Keep that in mind for later on =)
What struck me the most when I first read over this verse a long while ago was why are there two negatives when this cornerstone is supposed to be Christ? To be broken or ground to powder.. That's lovely! At first I didn't let it bother me, but later in my life I stumbled on the verse again. Still, didn't let it bother me, but by the third time it appeared I knew that I needed to learn something. So I sat down and I thought about it.
In my church they always mentioned the notion of being broken by Christ. Losing your pride, setting aside your goals and dreams in life, letting your desires become secondary... To me it seemed like such a gorgeous thing. Something I thought would be either too difficult for me to attain or something that was only meant for those crazy pentecostal people who found themselves in front of the alter collapsed before the Presence of the Lord. That wasn't me. And I knew that this verse was not speaking about a brokeness to utterly destroy a person, but simply to rebuild them.
In the hands of the Lord we are like clay. Jeremiah 18:6 "O, House of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter? says the Lord. Look, as the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O House of Israel!" We are being formed and crafted into something precious. Something that the Lord can use to fill with His Spirit and pour out on the nations! Every day the Lord molds you, whether you know it or not. Every day the Lord rises early in the morning, looking at His creation, formless, unshaped, in essence, still useless. He takes you into His massive hands and sifts you, creating the mouth of the pot, the handles, the edges. Every time He sticks His finger into the clay to create and indentation, it hurts. And once He is finished molding the clay, He puts it through the Fire. He tests the clay in the heat, watches as the product firms into perfection. And in the end, if He is not satisfied with how the clay came to be, He breaks it, and he starts over.
Remember what I spoke about earlier in the post? About the cornerstone, which is Christ? These pots that he breaks, the clay He molds and fits to perfection.. He breaks them on the cornerstone. The shards of broken pottery, the pains and trials you suffer, the teachings you learn, the people you save for Christ.. They remain on the cornerstone. The beginning of a building. And you know what else? The Lord uses those pieces of broken pottery, and the finished product to build His church, on which it's foundation is Christ. Isn't that amazing?
And now.. I encourage every one of you to come with me. Let's build a church together in the Lord.
"The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone"?
Whomever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."
Luke 20:17-18
Hello everyone! I haven't had a chance to post anything recently, although I've been inspired of the Lord to deliver this message. I've been thinking about what to post for quite some time, and actually this verse was the first verse to come into my mind. And I said to myself, "No.. This verse was difficult for me to understand, and it was difficult for me to grasp what it truly meant, how am I going to even post such a thing on a public blog to others?" And I thought of other things to write about. Ironically, as of late my laptop has failed me, and along with it's failure all of my documents, all of my writtings that I have written for myself in the past, and I could not find the other writing I had in my notebook. And I simply could not come up with anything else to speak of. This is something completely new, something I have not writen about in the past, although I believe the Lord had revealed it's meaning and a few things I can leave you all with.
These words were spoken by Jesus himself. You can find them in the verse I wrote of at the beginning. Anyways, in His preaching he quoted a Scripture that leads back to Psalms 118:22, a prophecy of what the Jews would do to the coming Messiah. "The stone the builders(the priest) rejected.." leading up to say that he would become the Chief Cornerstone. Why the chief cornerstone? What is it? So I went on Google and googled the term 'cornerstone' and came up with this on yourdictionary.com:a stone that forms the corner of the building; especially a foundation stone of this kind often inscribed, laid at a ceremony that marks the beginning of a building. Keep that in mind for later on =)
What struck me the most when I first read over this verse a long while ago was why are there two negatives when this cornerstone is supposed to be Christ? To be broken or ground to powder.. That's lovely! At first I didn't let it bother me, but later in my life I stumbled on the verse again. Still, didn't let it bother me, but by the third time it appeared I knew that I needed to learn something. So I sat down and I thought about it.
In my church they always mentioned the notion of being broken by Christ. Losing your pride, setting aside your goals and dreams in life, letting your desires become secondary... To me it seemed like such a gorgeous thing. Something I thought would be either too difficult for me to attain or something that was only meant for those crazy pentecostal people who found themselves in front of the alter collapsed before the Presence of the Lord. That wasn't me. And I knew that this verse was not speaking about a brokeness to utterly destroy a person, but simply to rebuild them.
In the hands of the Lord we are like clay. Jeremiah 18:6 "O, House of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter? says the Lord. Look, as the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O House of Israel!" We are being formed and crafted into something precious. Something that the Lord can use to fill with His Spirit and pour out on the nations! Every day the Lord molds you, whether you know it or not. Every day the Lord rises early in the morning, looking at His creation, formless, unshaped, in essence, still useless. He takes you into His massive hands and sifts you, creating the mouth of the pot, the handles, the edges. Every time He sticks His finger into the clay to create and indentation, it hurts. And once He is finished molding the clay, He puts it through the Fire. He tests the clay in the heat, watches as the product firms into perfection. And in the end, if He is not satisfied with how the clay came to be, He breaks it, and he starts over.
Remember what I spoke about earlier in the post? About the cornerstone, which is Christ? These pots that he breaks, the clay He molds and fits to perfection.. He breaks them on the cornerstone. The shards of broken pottery, the pains and trials you suffer, the teachings you learn, the people you save for Christ.. They remain on the cornerstone. The beginning of a building. And you know what else? The Lord uses those pieces of broken pottery, and the finished product to build His church, on which it's foundation is Christ. Isn't that amazing?
And now.. I encourage every one of you to come with me. Let's build a church together in the Lord.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Love
I randomly stumbled across this verse, but I thought it was so beautiful I had to share...
It's from Solomon's Song chapter 8 verse 7 - "Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned."
What a remarkable way to describe love. Something so powerful all the waters of the earth cannot quench it, so strong it can never be drowned or forgotten, and worth more than anything else anyone could achieve. Wow.
That's what I got from this anyways...
Let me know what you think.
-Ashleigh
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Peace
Hello everyone,
I just have to say I love the idea of this blog. I think we could all benefit from the testimony of others and in doing so recognize the opportunity for growth on our part.
I admit I have been struggling lately with my faith and with my relationship with God due to unfortunate circumstances that have befallen me, but I find as I make an effort to seek Him out - He is there. He is there with open arms and an understanding and compassionate heart. While I may not understand why I must endure such trials, this passage found in the New Testament has always given me hope that someday everything will make sense, and that I will come out of this hardship victorious.
Luke 14: 27 - "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
Sometimes the world can offer no valid answers. It can offer no peace. But when all other sources fail and comforts cease, God is always there - ever mindful of our needs, and ever eager to bring us back into His arms. He is patient with us in our sufferings. He understands. His son suffered all things in the garden of Gethsemane. He knows our struggles. He's been there. He knows how it feels, and He can help us through it if we just turn our hearts to Him and seek His help.
I don't know many things, but I know that someday this will all make sense. Someday I will be able to see my brother again. With God's help all things are possible. We just have to hold onto what we know is right and believe He can do what He says He can do. Though it's not easy, and this fight is anguishing and arduous, the end result will be worth all the struggle and tears.
I guess that's all I have for you today.
-Ashleigh
Faith
Hey there, I'm Jose
Have you ever doubted yourself?..Felt overwhelmed with all of this nonsense? I know everyone has those days, where you just want to scream out "I've had enough of this!"and you just give up.. but why do you give up? Maybe you're not having the patience or it may be that you have an excess of thoughts running inside your head. Whatever the case may be, the one word that has may change that one little "I've had enough of this!" to a "Yes! I did it" is faith! It will allow you to feel much more stronger and enlighten, it will break down those barriers/mountains/obstacles, and it will make you feel unstoppable. This is what the big boss(God) can do if you just believe and have a bunch of faith. He will always take care of you now matter what your situation is... you just have to keep your head always up. In the bible there are plenty of verses that emphasis the term faith..the one I have chosen is "If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible to you"
-Mathews 17:20
I encourage you guys to have a bit more faith in life and to look at your problems with a different prospective... don't always lean toward the negative side instead try to look at it in the positive side filled with a stack of faith.
Have you ever doubted yourself?..Felt overwhelmed with all of this nonsense? I know everyone has those days, where you just want to scream out "I've had enough of this!"and you just give up.. but why do you give up? Maybe you're not having the patience or it may be that you have an excess of thoughts running inside your head. Whatever the case may be, the one word that has may change that one little "I've had enough of this!" to a "Yes! I did it" is faith! It will allow you to feel much more stronger and enlighten, it will break down those barriers/mountains/obstacles, and it will make you feel unstoppable. This is what the big boss(God) can do if you just believe and have a bunch of faith. He will always take care of you now matter what your situation is... you just have to keep your head always up. In the bible there are plenty of verses that emphasis the term faith..the one I have chosen is "If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible to you"
-Mathews 17:20
I encourage you guys to have a bit more faith in life and to look at your problems with a different prospective... don't always lean toward the negative side instead try to look at it in the positive side filled with a stack of faith.
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