Tag: God

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Someone Understands!

Desert Sky Sunrise

Do you ever feel like God just wouldn’t understand?

Like He couldn’t care about you? Or that because He is God, He would never be able to understand what it is like to be a human? How to help you with your problems? “He isn’t like me. He’s invisible and is probably busy with all His God-like duties.”

Hebrews 4:14-16 says,

“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

It’s like the classic teenager’s excuse not to talk to their parents about anything. “They wouldn’t understand, they’re not my age.” Okay, well, they were your age. Did you think they were born adults???

It’s the same with Jesus.

Yes, He is fully God. But He was also fully human, and in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

 

Jesus is the mediator (also called “High Priest”) between us and God. He isn’t “un-relatable” or “doesn’t understand” or is too far off to get involved in our lives. He lived our lives. He was fully human. He fully sympathizes with our weaknesses! Jesus was tempted to “steal the cookie,” just like we are. (Okay, maybe not cookies. Cookies probably didn’t exist in the first century.) Just as we are tempted to sin, He was. Just as our hearts get broken, His did too. He was fully God yet fully human, and we can’t take that lightly.

We can’t hide from God. First of all, it is impossible. Second of all, He doesn’t want us to. He loves us and wants what’s best for us. He wants us to get to know Him. He is our Heavenly Father and paid the penalty for our sin so we could spend our lives (and eternity – in heaven) with Him. He wants us to draw near to His throne (pray) CONFIDENTLY, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

In time of need – for me, that’s every minute. Why do we have confidence? Because we are His children, and He loves us ever so much. His grace covers us, and will help us. He wants us to come to Him.

Jesus understands what it is like to be tempted and to suffer (hello, he was tortured and executed the most painful way possible). And Jesus is God! God wants us to come to Him, because He knows how much we need Him. Jesus, our High Priest, sympathizes with us and is on our side.

Isn’t it great to have the GOD of the UNIVERSE on our side? Empowering us! Giving us GRACE! Helping us through hard times! I don’t know about you, but that’s really encouraging to me.

Don’t ever forget that.

*aj

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I’m Fighting

Typewriter

It’s Monday night.

I’m tired. I don’t really want to write a blog post.

I cooked, cleaned, washed dishes, did tons of laundry, watched my brother, and attempted to write an essay for a scholarship contest.

I’ve had a long day, and I don’t feel like writing.

I’d honestly rather chill out in my bed, with a book that hasn’t been written yet. (Favorite authors, keep writing for me. I can’t stand waiting.)

I want to give into my introverted self and hole away in my room, read for ten hours straight, and magically receive a bunch of emails and texts from people I miss without being the first to send the message. I want to sulk for a million hours, and give up on life. I don’t have the experience. I don’t always have motivation. I’m so done with school. And I just want to be selfish and make life about me. Right now, I want life to do what I want, what I think is best for me, and whatever my snobby little emotions want.

And, though I think it would be nice, I’m not giving in because it’s not going to fix me.

And it’s a good thing, too, because when I give in to self-pity, not only is it pitiful, but it is even more discouraging. Hello world, I’m human too. More than I’d like to admit.

So I keep on fighting. Fighting to get my joy back. Fighting to be strengthened. Fighting to find truth amidst the lies. Fighting to regain hope in hard times. Fighting to remember where true love comes from. Fighting to remember God has a plan. And life isn’t about me, so I shouldn’t try to make it seem like it is.

Believe it or not, fighting is hard. Because the not-so-smart human nature in the back of my head says, “Go do pointless things for hours on end. Life is all about you. Go sulk. Go ignore everything. You’ll be happy.”

But will that make me “better?” No, it won’t. I know it won’t. I know that giving into that selfishness will not make me happy because I’ve tried.

Trust me, writing three blog posts a week is tiring. It is really hard. It is hard, because I can barely keep up with school, reading books, and writing, and then having time after that to do what I want. But do you know why I keep up?

I keep up because God has called me to write. God has not called me to wade waist-deep in self-pity, waste time, and sulk. God has called me, an introvert, to use my voice. Right now, I can’t get up in front of 10,000 people and share my life story. Maybe that will come at some point, I don’t know. What I do know, is that my voice right now is being expressed online, writing three times a week, for Him. And whether I like it or not (though I do like it), this is my platform that He has called me to share on. Even if I were to only have had five followers, if God had given me the opportunity to share Him with the world, I would still write.

So I won’t let my selfish sin nature get in the way of sharing the Gospel with twenty-two countries. (Yeah!)

I want to encourage all of you today, to keep on doing what God has given you the opportunity to do and has called you to. Living for God isn’t our obligation (although it’s the wisest thing and He wants us to). Living for God is our joy!

As I write this, my mood is brightening. (I’m not kidding.) Do you know why? Because my satisfaction is found in living for God, not living for myself. I am satisfied and filled up in living a life that is pleasing to God, because deep down, that is what my heart craves. My heart “wants” to be happy, but it can only be truly satisfied by a life abiding in Christ.

So this is why I write.

I do not write for money. (I have to pay to write, actually.) I do not write because it saves me time. (It takes me a lot of time.) I do not write because it makes me famous. (Probably, I’m the least famous out of everyone I know.) I do not write because it looks good on my résumé. (I don’t even have a résumé. I’m fifteen years old.)

I write, because this is the life God has given me. This is what He is calling me to, even though it’s small. This is growing my own faith. This helps me remember that life isn’t all about me. This helps me remember the joy that comes from a life with Christ. By writing even when I don’t feel like it, my own heart is encouraged because I know that this is what abiding in Christ feels like. I am getting to know Him more and more, day by day, and I am satisfied because living my life this way isn’t about me.

I’m glad that life isn’t about me.

I have laid my heart to rest in the satisfaction of Christ. I am pressing on toward the goal. I am fighting, and I am not letting my sinful nature win.

Because if I were to let my sin nature win, I would never taste satisfaction in those shallow, earthly pleasures.

My heart has been won over, and I am living a life dedicated to Christ.

*aj

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When I Am Weak…

Galaxy

Honestly, I usually think of myself as a weakling.

Not just physically, although I should probably work on that…

But I mean, I don’t really have amazing strength as a person.

I know how easy it is to fail a test.

I know how not to get stuff done.

I know how not to keep my emotions intact.

I know what it’s like to go through hard things.

I know what it’s like to be completely imperfect.

I guess we all do.

So many times I’ve relied on myself for strength…and failed.

Because my strength isn’t enough. My power is imperfect.

Imagine if life was all about how well we accomplished things. (Obviously, I would fail.) So if this was so, where would grace come in? What if we failed once? Twice? Ten thousand times?

I guess this comes back to the age-old question, “If people are good enough to get to heaven on their own, then why did Jesus have to die?”

Well, let’s face it. We are not good enough. Nobody has to teach us how to do wrong. Or fail. Or suffer. Weakness is a part of our humanity. But have you ever thought that that could be used for God’s purposes?

Yesterday morning, I was reading 2 Corinthians 12. And though I’ve read it before, it stuck out to me. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 says,

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. I’ve gone from being perfection-obsessed to being fine with failure. So, where’s the balance?

Life is going to be hard, and we are going to struggle. I know I do. But the one thing we must remember when all of this happens, is that we were not meant to carry this alone. Because, as we know, life isn’t about us. And if we try to depend on our own strength, well, it isn’t gonna work. If we want to get through life, we need to depend on God. And this obviously implies that we don’t get the credit.

So, because of the weakness we have, Christ’s power will help us. Which is better than being “all set.” Because of our weakness, we are given grace. Because of our suffering, His power rests upon us. So, therefore, what Paul is saying here is that our strength comes from God alone to fill in the gaps of our weakness (which is like, every part of our lives).

So, on our own, we are hopeless and weak. Because no one can do life alone, no matter how pleasant it may seem.

But with God, we are given His grace and power to live life. We’re never going to be perfect until we get to heaven, and life’s never going to be easy until then, either. But remember: His grace is sufficient! He is the perfection for us.

It’s not the end of the world when we suffer, because we have hope and assurance that God will be right here, beside us. His power rests upon us in and through it all.

And we can say wholeheartedly, “When I am weak (living in the flesh), then I am strong (God’s power in me).” Remember guys, God will never leave you or forsake you. His love is everlasting, and you can’t do anything to make His love for you go away. His love has forgiven your sin, and has been poured out upon you.

I’m not perfect, but I don’t expect to be. I am living a life without regret: a life devoted to God, living for Him, through Him, and by Him Alone.

I’m going to be weak, and so are we all. But when we are weak, it is then that we are strengthened by Him.

*aj

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The Liebster Award!

Happy Saturday, friends! This week, I was nominated for the Liebster Award by Shantelle Mary Hannu at A Writer’s Heart. This is such a fun thing to participate in! Okay, here we go.

  1. Link back to the blogger who nominated you.
  1. Answer the 11 new questions.
  1. Nominate other bloggers (however many or few as you’d 

like).

  1. Create 11 new questions for the bloggers you nominated.
  1. Notify the new nominees of their award.

1) What is the driving passion of your life?

The driving passion of my life is my love for God. (Of course, right?) Through His only Son, Jesus Christ, I have eternal life and I’ve been saved; I’ve literally passed over from death to life! Knowing His love for me drives me to live for Him, day after day, and I am striving to grow and be more like Him.

2) Can you name a favorite character from a movie you’ve seen recently?

Ha! I haven’t seen any movies recently, but I just finished watching American Idol (and I have to say that Jax was my favorite and SHOULD HAVE WON). Does that count? 😛 Probably not.

3) What’s one book (or chapter, verse, whatever…) of the Bible that has particularly touched you and why?

Oooooh. Good question! I have a few…

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 “For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.”

4) How tall are you? *smiles*

I’m 5’3”. *shrivels* I’m petite, I know. 95% of my friends are taller than me, but hey, what can ya do?

5) What’s one thing a book needs to have in order to make it a favorite for you?

Though it might sound quite old-fashioned, for a book to be a favorite for me, it must have a strong Christian theme. If our life’s purpose is to live for God and not for ourselves, why would I want to support a book that does not hold that view? It’s a conservative opinion, I know, but for me, books that bring me closer to my Creator are what I want to be filling my mind with. 🙂

6) How did you start and what’s your favorite thing about blogging?

I started blogging about three months ago. My favorite thing about blogging would be that I get a chance to share my faith as much as I want. In “real life”, I’m an introvert, and I don’t always have a chance to talk (or I don’t feel as comfortable…) so blogging gives me an opportunity to share everything that’s going on in my head, and I get to seem like I’m more outgoing than I really am. If you don’t want to listen to what I have to say, you don’t have to. I’m not “forcing my beliefs” on anyone, I’m just sharing my heart with all who will listen. 😉

7) What’s something exciting that has happened in your life recently?

Haha!  My life really isn’t that exciting, but I have to say, I’ve been devouring books recently and living in some other pretty awesome worlds. And on top of that, I’ve gotten to connect with some really awesome people (awesome-worlds’ authors included!). I wouldn’t ever want to give that up. I love getting to know awesome people.

8) Why do you write (blogs, books, whatever)?

I write because I love Jesus. I write because of what He’s done for me and how grateful I am. I write because I get to share my faith with anyone who will listen. I write because I get to express myself in more ways than I could if I didn’t. I write because I want to bring glory to God and point others to Him. I write because God has given me this platform to make Him famous, and it is one of my biggest passions.

9) Can you describe (or find a picture of) a different-era outfit that you’d love to wear?

I love the 1940s and 50s era a lot. (I love the middle ages and Ancient Rome period too, but I’ll save that for another time. *winks*)

I’d love to wear something like a retro-blue blouse with a yellow polka-dot skirt or a red blouse with a black and white polka-dot skirt. I looooove that kind of fashion!

10) Favorite songs?

Right now, I really like “Your Hands” by JJ Heller and “Make A Way” by I Am They. And “Salt and Light” by Lauren Daigle.

Just. So. Good.

11) Any advice for your fellow Christian bloggers/writers?

Never give up writing, you can only improve. Know that the only abilities that you have are a gift from God, and not because of how great you are. Remember to give all the glory to God in everything, and lean on Him for help. And never forget…He will never leave you or forsake you, and He is one-hundred percent trustworthy, all the time.

Now for my lucky nominees! These people have fantastic blogs, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Blogger friends, I nominate YOU to answer my 11 new questions!

Katy Parker at Captured in Christ

Jordan Shea at Carefree Flower

Leah E. Good at Leah’s Bookshelf

Rachel Schaus at Notes From My Corner of Creation

Christy at The Teen Theme

11 New Questions:

1) What is the driving passion of your life?

2) What/who has encouraged you the most to write?

3) What genre of books is your favorite?

4) Where is the furthest place away from home you’ve ever been?

5) Who is the coolest person you’ve ever gotten to know?

6) How important is your faith to your writing?

7) Are you a morning person, a night owl, a mix of both, or neither?

8) What’s your favorite part about writing/blogging?

9) Who is your fictional hero, and what makes them so special?

10) If you could make a favorite book into a fantastic movie, what book (or series) would it be?

11) What era “should” you have been born in?

*aj

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It’s Not About Me.

Boat in Ocean, Sufficient Grace

Am I the only one that sometimes thinks that life is all about what I do?

“I gotta do this…I gotta accomplish that…I better make sure I do this thing…I couldn’t ever forget about that…” And on and on.

Because somehow, in the deep and dark recesses of my mind, there’s a little voice that sometimes says to me, “Amanda, you better do _______ or it’ll surely be the end of the world.”

Riiiiiightttt. And guess what? I fall for those stupid little tricks every time.

If I only do this, people will like me more.

 

 If I only accomplish this faster, God will be more impressed with me.

 

If I would only dress this certain way, people would notice me and it would make my life better.

 

*groans*

Why is it so hard to remember that my life is not about me?!

Remember Ephesians 2:8-9, anyone? “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

 

Somehow or other, I forget this sometimes.

It. Does. Not Matter. How. I. Do. In. Life. Because. I’ve. Been. Given. Grace.

Because of my faith (ALONE!) I’ve been given grace, which has saved me. And guess what? This isn’t my own doing, because it’s a gift.

Imagine giving someone a gift that was extremely expensive and the only one in the world. Instead of them enjoying their gift (and being profusely thankful), they insist that they earned it because of everything they do for you. You simply shake your head and try to explain that what they do is great, but them receiving the gift has absolutely nothing to do with what they’re doing. You just love them and wanted to bless them. But they insist that they had something to do with it.

Human, you don’t get it. I gave you this gift because I love you. You couldn’t earn it, you weren’t even close. This was a gift, not a prize. Love, not payment. A blessing, not a reward.

And I have to relearn this every. single. day.

And guess what, everyone? God is giving me grace to relearn it every day. Because why?

2 Corinthians 12:9. “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

 

His grace is sufficient for me. There’s enough grace for me as there is enough water in the ocean for a baby krill.

Life isn’t about me, it’s about Him, and what He’s done for me.

It’s so easy for me to focus on my mistakes, comparing myself with others, and how good my performance turns out to be.

But I have to remember (I think we all do) that our gift of salvation rests not upon what we do, but upon His grace.

Because it doesn’t have to be about me.

*aj

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Poetry: Amazing Grace

  

Happy Saturday, everyone! This week, I wrote another poem. It’s pretty much my entire testimony summed up. 😛 Sometimes I can’t explain things, but writing out words in poetry form seriously helps me do that. And I know that this post is short, but I hope that you find the meaning is the same as any other post. Enjoy!

Amazing Grace
I’ve finally let go
Of who I thought I had to be.
All my plans and all my dreams 
I let them define me.
I once claimed full control.
Held on with all my might.
I grasped a death-grip hold.
Wouldn’t go down without a fight.
I let my life tell me
What I was forced to do.
I fell prey to all the lies
Forgetting what was true.
But I put my ear up close
To the door calling me inside.
I heard, “You are pure and you are holy.
And I call you my child.”
Now who I am is so much more 
Than just another face.
God has made me who I am 
By His Amazing Grace.
*aj
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The Future: Control, Loosened Feet, and Letting Go  

Waterfall

To be completely honest, I have no idea where I’ll be a few years from now.

I have no idea what I’ll be doing, who I’ll be friends with, where exactly I’ll be at in school, where I’ll be living, nothing. I really don’t know.

To some people, this might seem like a horrible thing. NO CONTROL? WHAT ARE YOU, CRAZY?

(Yeah, I am. But it’s a good kind of crazy. You’ll see why.)

I can be a bit of a control freak at times. Really. I worry way too much about things sometimes. I wouldn’t encourage it, because it focuses on I and me too much. What I want. What’ll help me. (More like what I think that I want and will help me, but really won’t.)

I might make a million plans right now. Now this is hypothetical, and I haven’t thought through the answers to all of this, but I’ll do an example.

I’m going to go to ____ College.

I’m going to major in _______.

I’m going to have a career in _________.

I’m going to date ________ person, we’re going to get engaged and be engaged for ___ months, and our wedding theme and colors will be __________.

I’m going to have _________ many kids.

I’m going to buy a house by the ___________.

And so on and so forth. Maybe we don’t have it all figured out, but we dream (and plan out our ideas in our heads), and hold onto *that thing* as our security.

But *that thing* cannot be guaranteed. Why? Because we are not in control.

Proverbs 16:9 says, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”

 

I’m not saying I haven’t made plans. I sure have. I mean, it’s very smart to plan ahead, but we cannot be so stuck on it that we don’t let God lead us.

James 4:13-15 sums this up pretty much the same way that I’m trying to explain.

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’”

 

We should live with “loosened feet”. Feet that are free to move where God calls us. We can plan, but we must let God direct us. We are not in control; He is. We should live to do what God wills for us. By getting to know Him, He will show us. He will open and close doors for us, and He will guide us.

(Isaiah 30:21, “And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.”)

Like I said, I have absolutely no idea where I’ll be at in a few years, both physically and spiritually.

But that’s okay with me.

I’m not in control, but I know the One who is. And I trust that He knows what’s best for me.

As a matter of fact, I know that He knows what’s best for me. He knows what’ll bring me closer to Him. He has a purpose in everything, even if I can’t see it.

So I’ve let go.

It’s okay that I’m not in control. Because He is, and that’s all I need to know.

*aj

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True Peace

Peace, Mountains

Peace.

*takes a deep breath*

Visualize world peace. 

There’s a sign in my dentist’s office that says just that. “Visualize World Peace”.

That sounds good, right?

Well, it seems so…but here’s the thing.

Peace, many times, is mistaken for a lack of conflict.

Therefore, it stands to reason that if there is peace, there is stability. If there is no conflict or apparent danger, there is peace.

According to the Bible, however, that’s not really true.

In John 16:33, Jesus says,

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Here, Jesus is talking to His disciples. And He just dispelled a myth about peace. Jesus says that in Him, we can have peace. Notice that He confirms that in this world, there will be tribulation.  (Think of this as conflict mixed with really hard times and trials. Not exactly pleasant.)

Yet, we still can have peace. Why? Jesus has overcome the world.

But what does that mean?

I’m big on explanations (if you haven’t noticed).

Jesus overcame Satan, the Prince of this world. He overcame sin’s power over us. He restored the peace we can have with God.

Peace is like an apple. (What?)

Imagine that the inside (core) of an apple is like the “inside” of us. If we have internal non-peace (which will rot the inside of us), that will eventually result in the “outside” of us being rotten and non-peaceful. Likewise, our inner peace – coming from a relationship with God – will result in a fresh apple, because no apple rots from the outside in.

That might not have made a lot of sense.

My point is, we have hard times in the world and outer non-peace (insecurity). Because the world as a whole does not have Jesus, the world as a whole does not have true peace.

You cannot do ten thousand hours of meditation and spiritual rituals to achieve inner peace.

You cannot buy enough stuff to achieve happiness or peace.

You cannot cut out all wars in the world to achieve world peace.

There is no magic handbook that you can follow to convert the world to be a conflict-free place (although you’ll get those claims).

The chance of having a “peaceful” world seems really hopeless, right?

However, there is a clause. (I’ve always wanted to say that!)

Inner peace for the Christian is possible through Jesus. This peace is a restored communion with God. An assurance of security and fellowship with Christ. We can rest in Him; He is our safe place.

Paul writes in Colossians 3:15,

“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”

 

We can let His true and lasting peace rule in our hearts.

The world does not know true peace. Until Jesus comes again, true world peace will be promised by many and fulfilled by none.

But we are secure in Christ, which produces our only real peace.

Isn’t that the only kind of peace we should want?

*aj