May Isaiah Bless us All

As I was filling out the 3x5 card for the month of May with my reading schedule, I found some very ironic days and passages. May 1st I was to begin Isaiah and May 26th was the last day spent in Isaiah. Well, for anyone going to Noblessville, we know what May 26th means the last day of school. For all the seniors, most importantly, it's the last day of high school. Currently, I am counting down the days for graduation but the irony within my reading schedule caused me to stop and think for a bit. During my last month of high school, I will be reading one of the most confusing books in the Old Testament. Now, I could read it through, while only thinking of walking across that stage and receiving my diploma, or I could do something crazy.



Well, I don't like the easy way out, so I am asking God that during the last few weeks of school, that He would do something crazy. Just in the first few chapters, I am thoroughly confused and amazed at the powerful message Isaiah is trying to convey to Judah. A few verses that really stuck out to me, concerning my life right now were from chapter 5 verses 18-19:



18 "What sorrow for those who drag their sins behind them with ropes made of lies, who drag wickedness behind them like a cart! 19 They even mock God and say, “Hurry up and do something! We want to see what you can do. Let the Holy One of Israel carry out his plan, for we want to know what it is.”



To read these verse in context click here. I like the part where is says that we mock God by asking him to hurry up and do something. This is particularly convicting in my life, because I've been asking God to do something in my life, without regard to His plan and his timing. I am reminded of Jeremiah 29:11-13 (some of my favorite verses) " 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plan to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.'" The last two verses I always tend to over look. I will have to call upon God and pray to him and seek him, but seek him will all my heart. So often I forget my relationship with God is a two-way street; it's far more than God just blessing me and giving me things. And this reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan:

'The irony is that while God doesn’t need us but still wants us, we desperately need God but don’t really want Him most of the time."

These are all things I've been pondering on while struggling to finish the marathon of high school I've been running for 4 years; God's timing is truly and wonderfully perfect.

Bible Lit Service Project

Back in a previous post, I mentioned a class that was taking this semester, Bible Literature. Well, one of the requirements for the class is a field trip, an individual service project. Each student was to find a location to service that was not their home church, was not super comfortable for them, and was new or challenging. For my service project, I traveled to Carmel land to Northview Church to assist their groundskeeper, Marcia. I went into the day not knowing what exactly I'd be doing, and walked away with a renewed sense of awe for God.

In the first part of the morning, I was assigned to prune and clip back some pine bushes...some wonderfully overgrown pine bushes. Needless to say, 3 hours later, the bushes looked wonderful and I had quite a collection of battle wounds on my arms. What struck me as ironic though, was the concept of pruning a bush. Someone comes and kills a living part of a plant, because in the long run, it will grow healthier and the plant will live longer. I was reminded when Jesus talked about the vine and the branches in John 15. He says the he will cut every branch that does not bear fruit, but he even prunes the branches that bear fruit, so it will be more fruitful. Those 3 hours truly gave me the chance to ponder upon what God is pruning in my life, whether its fruitful or not.

Serving tody at another chruch was a very different experience, but a good reminder that God works in any and every church he wants. Right now, Northview is growing almost exponentially, and it amazes me! Sometimes, I forget that God moves outside of White River, and going today was a healthy reminder of how massively big God is. Just a cool thought to ponder on.

Well, an update upon my challenge: I am a few days from finishing Proverbs and 2 Corinthians. Once again I will say how excited I am to finish the challenge, so I can read through these amazing books again and take my time.

Psalms and Such

Today was my last day in the blessed book of Psalms. Wow, what a book!! Now, I know I say that about almost every book I've read during my challenge, but this one deserves some real props. I was planning of writing a creative little ditty about Psalms like 150 Words for 150 Psamls. But my computer crashed halfway through writing it, so I've decided to give a little teaser.

If you haven't read through Psalms before, do it. There are so much things you can learn from it. It amazed me how much a person can connect with the words of the authors of this compelation. You can get such an inside perspective of a person's heart. You experience the agony they're in, or can be called to worship through their adoration of our Lord. Just today I was reading in chatper 147, and the author describes the physical power of God and what he can do. In the next chapter he describes who should be praising God and why they should. This book is so wonderful..

Psalms truly was a blessing for me. When I first began my challenge, I wanted to encorporate the Psamls into my everyday reading, so I wouldn't spend 2 months reading Psalms. Well, I decided not to do that back in October or so, because I though maybe when I get to Psalms, I'll be going through a rough patch and would really need the extended time in easier and encouraging reading. How did God provide!! These last 2 months have been really really hard. Between show choir craziness, senioritis at its worst, and a stressing college desicion, I really did need the break. Looking back, I can see how God provided through all of it. Even if I got behind in my schedule, it is much easier to read 12 chatper of Psalms than 12 chapter of Isaiah in one sitting. So, in hind sight, I can only give God the glory with his protection of me, and with the blessing Psalms has been in my life.

I'll end this post with a Psalm 121, a song of ascents. These types of psalms could only bring me to praise the Lord:

I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

Technology, Priorities and Psalms

Well, there is much to discuss with this blog post considering it's been 3 week since I've last updated.Firstly, I had an interesting experience about 2 weeks ago concerning technology. After an amazing night at small group I sat and talked for a long long time with my mom about things, such as college, God, priorities, etc. After much discussion I came to the conclusion that technology was cluttering my life, and it needed the boot. So, I took a technology fast for a few days. No computer, no television, no cellphone, no music. nada. Honestly, it wasn't as hard as I though it would be. It was freeing, actually. I learned to appreciate silence more, and I learned that it's ok not to be connected with absolutely everyone at any and every moment of the day. Because of this learning experience, I have deactivated my twitter account, taken off facebook updates, and it's a beautiful thing. The point of getting rid of technology was to learn to better manage my priorities, which leads into my second paragraph.

I have found myself slacking in priorities, mostly in the technology department. Thus the tech. fast. I have been trying, and asking God of course, to retrain my habits. Because I haven't been spending time wisely, I've been procrastination on my homework. This in turn leads to me not getting my Bible reading done (see, this blog ties into my challenge). And since I've become behind on my reading schedule, I've felt obligated to catch up. I haven't been reading God' word as a blessing and encouragment, but rather as an obligation and constant reminder of my misuse of time. That is not how I want to view the Word of God. So, I've been asking God to redue my mindset toward his Word, and you know what? He's been moving!

I am still in Psalms, but should be finished soon. And, what I've been reading has been extremely fascinating. For example, i was reading Psalm 107 and the patterns of repitition in it is crazy! Basically, the author describes the sin of man, the punishment of God, man's repentence, and God's rescue of man. It does this about 3 times in the chapter, following the pattern. Now, I don't know what that means, but I think it's really cool. Also, in Psalm 119, the author uses the word "law" about 30 times, "command" about 17 times, and "precept" about 20 times. If you haven't read Psalm 119, it's very long, but a good read. I admire the talent these writers have in Psalms, the way their words still connect to people today. I'm loving this book!!

UPDATE: I have very good news to share!! Tomorrow, April 5, I will be 2/3 completed with the CIY Challenge!!! I believe that should inspire a blog in it of itself. I will say though, I can only attribute it to God, and his mighty power and control in my life. What a journey it's been, and how Awesome is our God!!!

I can't think of a title, so this is what you get.

God's Word never stops amazing me, teaching me, and encouraging me. Today I was reading in Romans, trying to get caught up with my schedule, when God's Word spoke to me in a way I haven't experienced in a long time. To be perfectly honest, I've felt a big disconnect from Him with the last month or two. Sure, I've still been going to church, reading my Bible, and praying, but it has seemed kind of forced, and not genuine. Well, I didn't go to church this morning due to a choir competition the day before, and I just needed to rest. So, I was reading in Romans 7 where Paul's talking about struggling with sin. The verses that screamed at me go like this:

21So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Go a head and read those verses again, I had to.

Now, read them one more time, since I did as well to fully get my head around the depth of Paul's message.

This paragraph has just describes my past 3 Saturdays. I am in show choir, and the past three weekends, we have been at competitions, and I have been totally out of my element. Being around that atmosphere really pressures me to conform to the world's standards, to talk, act, and think like everyone else. It has been really hard. I am trying my best, and asking for God's help, to be a witness of Christ, to be salt in the world. Most of the times, it seems like I don't make a difference. It seems like I just mess up and conform, and I am fighting a battle that I'll never win.

These verses spoke to my heart this morning. Knowing that Paul experienced those same things, those same feelings is such a comfort to me. Who knows, that battle may always be a losing one, but who will rescue me? Jesus Christ my Lord. I am reminded that I am in this world, but not of this world. (Most of the verses on this page will give account to that) That, though I struggle with infinite sins, and never ending challenges, that it is all for God's glory. In the next chapter in Romans, Paul says, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us" (chapter 8 vs 18). What a reminder! Our actions today are meant for glory in heaven. Talk about a different perspective. I will be pondering on these verse for quite a while, and maybe God will get me out of this rut I seem to have found myself in.

Reading Update: Well, I haven't been keeping along with my schedule 100%, I am about 5-6 days behind, but hopefully I can slowly but surely get caught up. I've enjoyed the break from tough OT books with Psalms. It's been quite an encouragement this last month and a half. And what a book Romans is! Holy cow! I can't wait to read this book through again when I get the chance. It is chalk full of wisdom.

Elihu: An Example for the Youth

Due to our wonderful snow day today, I had plently of time to catch up on reading Job this morning. I am now at chapter 38, and and should finish the book by Thursday. Well, my opinion of Job is starting to turn around. I just finished the 6 chapter monologue of Elihu. Let me tell you, I really like this guy. All 31 chapters before he begins his monologue, he doesn't say a word. It says in the beginning of chapter 32 that he was angry with Job and the 3 friends who had been talking with Job the entire book. It also says that he had waited to speak, since they were older than him. It wasn't untill they had finished talking that Elihu's anger was enough to cause him to speak. I can image a couple things about Elihu in this situation:

• He's young (maybe a teenager?) and his words are probably not worth much to the others
• The things Job's friends are saying frustrate Elihu since "they had found no way to refute Job, and yet had condemned him(or had condemned God)
• Job had been justifying himself rather than God

I understand what it means to be underestimated for your age. Older folks tend to pass judgements on the youth as immature, unwise, and foolish. I'll admit it, I do the same to people younger than me. Elihu says upfront the impression he recieves from Job and his friends about his age. "I am young in years, and you are old; that is why I was fearful, not daring to tell you what I know. I thought, 'Age should speak; advanced years should teach wisdom.'" (ch 32 vs 6-7) His approach to these adults was interesting, one that makes me think. He wasn't proud in saying that 'I have something to say too, and you should listen to me'. He states the facts and was honest with these men, he was afraid to talk. Into the next verses he talks about wisdom does not come from age, but from God. "It is not only the old who are wise, not only the aged who understand what is right." Elihu was saying, "I'm wise too; don't disregard my words because of my age." This reminds me of the verse 1 Timothy 4:12. In the next chapters (32:10-:33) Elihu is defending his right to speak and be heard. This begs the question: How is my approach with adults compared to Elihu? I could contiue talking about his for many paragraphs, but I'll get onto my next point.

Secondly, Elihu has been listening to Bildad, Zophar, and Eliphaz talk to Job for quite a while now, and he's calling them out. "I gave you my full attention. But no one of you has proved Job wrong; none of you has answered his arguments." (32:12) My impression, is that Elihu is saying that their words and arguments and advice are wrong, utterly wrong. I don't quite know what to think about this. The imagery Elihu uses in 32: 16-22 is a pretty clear indicator of the emotions/frustrations he is experiencing. He does show extreme patience though, by waiting for everyone else to speak their peace, regardless of whether he agrees with it or not.

Lastly, Elihu directly calls out Job('blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil' 1:1; He was the greatest man among all the people of the East' 1:3) Job was kind of a big deal, and some munchkin was calling him wrong. In chapter 33 verses 8-12, Elihu reminds Job that he is not greater than God. And later on in the chapters, Elihu mentions that who is he[Job] to say 'I am innocent, but God denies me justice' (34:5). That is really gutsy of Elihu; remember who he is and who Job is. I don't know if I could even say that to my mom or my pastor, let alone the richest most prosperous man in the world. Elihu was brave to say these things and more, but I believe that God spoke through him to Job. Here's some food for thought: How is God trying to use you to be an example to those older(or younger) than you?

These chapters are just filled with lessons to be learned! Oh, how I wish I could spend some more time in this wonderful book. I wish I could sit down with Elihu and have a conversation over coffee. I am adding him to my list of people to talk to in Heaven. What an example he is to me, and hopefully other youth. Sorry this post is so long, but when I read about his guy, I just had to write about it.

Job issues

I am just over halfway thorugh Job, and I'm not fan. In past, I have attempted start and finish Job. Let's just say, I was able to start it, but not neccesarily finish it. I remember why I never finished it. I have one simple word of advice for Job, brevity. I'm struggling to unterstand the purpose of the monologing and rants. I don't mean to come across as critical, I just don't understand Job's perspective. For me, the advice his friends are giving seems reasonable, but the things that Job is saying also makes sense. As I read this book, I feel like i need to pick sides, yet I do not know which side to take.

It's frustrating to say the least. To try to understand more about this book, I think I'll do some research, just not toady. I am determined to push through this book, and I am super excited to start Psalms.