"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" ~Jeremiah 29:11~
If you know me, you know I love this verse. At first glance, it might seem like God was telling people this when everything was going their way. But if you back up and look at the context, He's actually giving hope to the people when they're discouraged. Just one verse back it says, "This is what the Lord says: 'When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"
In that verse, God is telling them that He will fulfill his good promise to bring them back. He will fulfill His promise, just not in their time, in His time. If it was in their time, they'd be brought back that instant. But God knows better. He waits.
I love reading this verse and putting emphasis on a certain word..."For I know the plans I have for you...". He knows the plans He has for us. We don't have a clue what all He has in store for us. But that's okay, because He does. We don't know, but we know He knows. Trust Him to carry out His plans for you in His time.
Kayla Joy
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
God Suds
I shoved the last pair of blue jeans into the washer and walked over to the laundry detergent. Scooping a small dip, I read the claim on the Tide's detergent's label, "Removes virtually every stain!". Virtually, that was the key word that basically means "You can't sue us if it doesn't remove every stain because we only claimed it removes 'virtually' every stain!". I dumped a scoop full of soap into the washing machine and paused, watching the sudsy soap mix with the water. I instantly thought how God makes our sins clean, much like the washing machine cleans our dirty clothes.
Dirty clothes are filthy and can't be worn until they're cleaned. They're simply unfit to be worn. Our sins are filthy and need to be cleaned. You can't walk around with something dirty on for long. 1 John 1:8-9 says, " If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
Don't leave those stains on you any longer. Just ask with a sincere heart--mean what you say. God already took care of your sins on the cross. You can have more than just "virtually" every sin removed if you simply ask.
Kayla Joy
Dirty clothes are filthy and can't be worn until they're cleaned. They're simply unfit to be worn. Our sins are filthy and need to be cleaned. You can't walk around with something dirty on for long. 1 John 1:8-9 says, " If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
Don't leave those stains on you any longer. Just ask with a sincere heart--mean what you say. God already took care of your sins on the cross. You can have more than just "virtually" every sin removed if you simply ask.
Kayla Joy
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Three Hundred Against Three Thousand?
"Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The Lord said to Gideon, "You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, announce now the the people, "Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead." So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained. But the Lord said to Gideon, "There are still too many men. Take them down to the water and I will sift them for you there. If I say, 'This one shall go with you,' he shall go; but if I say, 'This one shall not go with you' he shall not go." So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, "Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from whose who kneel down to drink." Three hundred men lapped with their hands to the their mouths. All the rest got down on their knees to drink. The Lord said to Gideon, "With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the other men go, each to his own place." So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites to their tents but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others."~Judes 7:1-8~ (Italics mine)
If you're fighting a battle in today's world, thirty-two thousands soldiers sounds a lot better than just three hundred. If I were Gideon, I would have been thinking, "Whaaat? But, just to make sure we win this battle, don't we want at least a thousand? I mean, com'n, God, look at all the soldiers they have!"
If thirty-two thousand soldiers fought the battle and won--what would be miraculous about that? The Israelites would probably start bragging about their wonderfulness. All the men would be bragging over feasts saying, "Ha, you saw how I slashed that Midianite's head off? It definitely was a skillful move! Couldn't a won the battle without me, you couldn't!". But God had only three hundred men go with them. Against thousands of Midianites. Not a chance of the Israelites winning solely by man strength with those numbers. That's why God chose those numbers. He wanted the Israelites to see it was Him who won them the battle, Him who worked a miracle, Him who had the power.
Sadly, in today's world, we can get pretty prideful and stuck up on ourselves. If something seemingly too good to be true happens to you, don't thank yourself for it. Thank the One who made you.
If you're fighting a battle in today's world, thirty-two thousands soldiers sounds a lot better than just three hundred. If I were Gideon, I would have been thinking, "Whaaat? But, just to make sure we win this battle, don't we want at least a thousand? I mean, com'n, God, look at all the soldiers they have!"
If thirty-two thousand soldiers fought the battle and won--what would be miraculous about that? The Israelites would probably start bragging about their wonderfulness. All the men would be bragging over feasts saying, "Ha, you saw how I slashed that Midianite's head off? It definitely was a skillful move! Couldn't a won the battle without me, you couldn't!". But God had only three hundred men go with them. Against thousands of Midianites. Not a chance of the Israelites winning solely by man strength with those numbers. That's why God chose those numbers. He wanted the Israelites to see it was Him who won them the battle, Him who worked a miracle, Him who had the power.
Sadly, in today's world, we can get pretty prideful and stuck up on ourselves. If something seemingly too good to be true happens to you, don't thank yourself for it. Thank the One who made you.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Trust in the Eternal Light
I'm normally the last one in my bed. As a routine, I make sure all the lights are turned off downstairs, call Sammy to my side, and stumble around in the darkness till I find the staircase to my room. When it's pitch black and the only thing you can feel is a pile of wagging fur close to your feet, it's slow going. Your mind is running with the thoughts of, "When should I turn to the left to find the stairs? I gotta make sure not to trip on Sammy...I don't want to trip on the first step either. And I definitely don't want to miss the turn and walk straight into the wall." And trust me, I have done all of those things numerous times. As soon as I've reach the staircase, I always extend a searching hand on the wall, trying to find the light switch. The second I succeed, I'm filled with relief. I'm no longer in the dark, wandering aimlessly around. I can see any hazard items, such as books, on the staircase that could have made me trip in the dark. I'm seeing around me with new eyes, things I wouldn't have been able to see if I were still groping around in the dark for a light switch.
Isaiah 42:16 says, "I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them." Though we may not recognize the paths He's taking us on, though we may not always agree with them-- they're not unfamiliar paths to Him. He's the ultimate Light. While we're still groping around in the dark trying to understand why He's doing what He is, He can see more than we can. He understands more than we ever will. He promises to guide us and never forsake us. God knows we don't understand why we were taken on this path. He also knows why we were taken on that path. Trust Him.
Kayla Joy
Isaiah 42:16 says, "I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them." Though we may not recognize the paths He's taking us on, though we may not always agree with them-- they're not unfamiliar paths to Him. He's the ultimate Light. While we're still groping around in the dark trying to understand why He's doing what He is, He can see more than we can. He understands more than we ever will. He promises to guide us and never forsake us. God knows we don't understand why we were taken on this path. He also knows why we were taken on that path. Trust Him.
Kayla Joy
Friday, October 21, 2011
"He said, 'Come.' So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, 'You of little faith, why did you doubt?'" Matthew 14:29-31.
One tiny detail in this Bible passage that I love looking at is when it says, "Jesus immediately...". Jesus immediately reached out His hand to save Peter from drowning. Jesus didn't think to himself, "Hmph, it's all Peter's fault that he became frightened and looked the other way. You know what? Just to teach him a lesson... I think I'll wait till he gets a good mouthful of salty water in his mouth before I save him. Ha, that'll teach him a lesson!" Jesus cared for Peter. He didn't let him drown.
If you feel like you're drowning in the never ending seas engulfing you, just reach out to Jesus. Cry to Jesus. He's waiting for you to come to Him. He's been waiting all along, hoping you'd want His help. Cause let's admit it--we've tried before. We can't live without Him. We fail miserably at it when we try. Don't try to swim in those seas again. Instead, call on the One who made the seas.
Kayla Joy
One tiny detail in this Bible passage that I love looking at is when it says, "Jesus immediately...". Jesus immediately reached out His hand to save Peter from drowning. Jesus didn't think to himself, "Hmph, it's all Peter's fault that he became frightened and looked the other way. You know what? Just to teach him a lesson... I think I'll wait till he gets a good mouthful of salty water in his mouth before I save him. Ha, that'll teach him a lesson!" Jesus cared for Peter. He didn't let him drown.
If you feel like you're drowning in the never ending seas engulfing you, just reach out to Jesus. Cry to Jesus. He's waiting for you to come to Him. He's been waiting all along, hoping you'd want His help. Cause let's admit it--we've tried before. We can't live without Him. We fail miserably at it when we try. Don't try to swim in those seas again. Instead, call on the One who made the seas.
Kayla Joy
Sunday, October 16, 2011
The Little Candle That Could...
Yesterday, we were celebrating my sister's 21st birthday. We had gotten her a candle that hums the tune of "Happy Birthday" when lit. Now, however, hours after we had lit the candle and dumped it into a cup of water in order to silence it, it was still happily humming happy birthday. It reminded me of a few years ago when we were celebrating my Great Grandma's 100th birthday party. We had gotten her a candle of the same sorts, and, in order to silence it forever, we had tried drowning it, beating it against the counter, and hacking it with a knife. All the same, the little candle kept singing, dutifully doing its job and wishing the birthday person a very happy birthday indeed.
Is your faith in Christ like this? That no matter what trials in your life you face, you will always keep spreading the news of a Savior? Or does it slowly come to a stop after each trial gets harder and harder to manage? Let your faith in Christ be like this candle--always spreading the Gospel, no matter what obstacles could stand in the way.
Kayla Joy
P.S. In case you're wondering...we froze the candle in a cup of water. I'll get back to you on whether it worked or not, we have yet to find out! I, however, am cheering for the little candle to not lose voice and keep singing.
Is your faith in Christ like this? That no matter what trials in your life you face, you will always keep spreading the news of a Savior? Or does it slowly come to a stop after each trial gets harder and harder to manage? Let your faith in Christ be like this candle--always spreading the Gospel, no matter what obstacles could stand in the way.
Kayla Joy
P.S. In case you're wondering...we froze the candle in a cup of water. I'll get back to you on whether it worked or not, we have yet to find out! I, however, am cheering for the little candle to not lose voice and keep singing.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Child Like Faith
When I was little, I loved climbing trees. I was a good climber, able to balance well on a rather weak looking branch. My problem wasn't climbing trees--it was getting out of them. I could fearlessly climb as high as the clouds (or what seemed to be, in my small mind) without a consideration of how I'd get down. I was confident on how I'd get down, because I knew I'd just call out to my dad and he'd pluck me out of the tree and set me safely on firm ground. He'd never failed to get me down before when I'd asked, why would he change that?
Matthew 18:3 says, "And He said: 'I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.'" God never changes. He's the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Can't we have that same childlike faith we had as children and trust that He'll take care of us?
Kayla Joy
Matthew 18:3 says, "And He said: 'I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.'" God never changes. He's the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Can't we have that same childlike faith we had as children and trust that He'll take care of us?
Kayla Joy
Thursday, October 6, 2011
30 Day 30 Minute Challenge
"Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."
Sure, we love to spend our morning's with Jesus. A reading of a random chapter or two of the book of Psalms, a few seconds of prayer, and maybe a minute or two of listening. But we have things to do in the mornings. We're on a tight schedule. It's not really our fault if God doesn't speak to us in the time period that we give Him. Right?
If you haven't been hearing God speak to you lately, maybe you haven't been taking the time to hear. So if you're reading this, I challenge you to a 30 day challenge. For 30 days, get up 30 minutes earlier than you normally would, and use that time doing whatever you want with Jesus. Talking to Him, asking Him, listening to Him, singing songs of praise to Him, memorizing scripture, whatever it is you feel He wants you to do that day, do it. And don't use this as a substitute for whatever time you already spend in devotions. Let this be a time to transform you and refresh you. Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart and wait for Him. If you feel Him telling you to spend more time with Him, adjust what time you get up at so you can spend more time.
Jesus loved you enough to not only make sacrifices for you, but to be the sacrifice for you. Can't you give Him 30 minutes for 30 days with you?
Kayla Joy
Sure, we love to spend our morning's with Jesus. A reading of a random chapter or two of the book of Psalms, a few seconds of prayer, and maybe a minute or two of listening. But we have things to do in the mornings. We're on a tight schedule. It's not really our fault if God doesn't speak to us in the time period that we give Him. Right?
If you haven't been hearing God speak to you lately, maybe you haven't been taking the time to hear. So if you're reading this, I challenge you to a 30 day challenge. For 30 days, get up 30 minutes earlier than you normally would, and use that time doing whatever you want with Jesus. Talking to Him, asking Him, listening to Him, singing songs of praise to Him, memorizing scripture, whatever it is you feel He wants you to do that day, do it. And don't use this as a substitute for whatever time you already spend in devotions. Let this be a time to transform you and refresh you. Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart and wait for Him. If you feel Him telling you to spend more time with Him, adjust what time you get up at so you can spend more time.
Jesus loved you enough to not only make sacrifices for you, but to be the sacrifice for you. Can't you give Him 30 minutes for 30 days with you?
Kayla Joy
Monday, October 3, 2011
Don't Have a Way With Words? You're Not Hopeless, God Can Use You!
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness..." This isn't Paul saying 'Aww, shucks, thanks for the boost of confidence, God, but it really wasn't that awesome. I think I'll just slip in something here to let the reader's of this book know that'. "All Scripture is God-breathed..."
Paul isn't just adding the part about him being a bad speaker to be humble. He's being completely honest. So, the point?? What's it matter about if Paul was a good speaker or not?
The point is, you don't have to be a good speaker. Look at Paul. According to him, he was pretty crummy at speaking. But Paul did have a demonstration of the Holy Spirit. And this proved to others listening to him that it was God's power, not Paul's fancy way with words. Don't worry if you don't have a way with words. Don't be concerned if you stumble or can't think of the words to say. Let Jesus's light shine out through you in all you do, so that's Christ's power is seen, not with any words of wisdom from you, but with the demonstration of the Holy Spirit.
Kayla Joy
School Assignment
Thought I'd share an assignment for school I did the other day. This is just the first draft, so any suggestions on revisions would be appreciated! And I'd love any title suggestions, I don't like the title I have right now! :P It's supposed to be an "I believe" essay, but it can't have 'religion' in it. Though I didn't add any, I can't help but thinking of the verse, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’There is no commandment greater than these.'" (Mark 12:30-31) when I look over my essay. Of course, the neighbors this verse talks about aren't only the ones living in our neighborhood, but it includes them, too!
Michaela Maas
Kelly Booth
9/29/2011
A New Beginning
It was a warm, pleasantly windy day in early August. It was Wednesday night, and I was taking my dog, Sammy, for a walk with my parents. We were quietly chattering amongst ourselves, when a loud, gruff voice broke the silence. “Hey!”, a man cried out, startling all of us. We turned abruptly, and saw our neighbor signaling to us. As we crossed the street to talk to him, we approached a heavy cloud of smoke. I hoped he wasn’t going to spend a lot of time talking with us, already the smell of his cigar was nauseating. His voice broke my thoughts, “Have you heard the news about Jean?”.
I was immediately taken aback, wondering what could have happened to Jean. We weren’t close friends with most of the people in our neighborhood. Sure, we waved to them if we saw them pass by, but we never really stopped and talked to any of them, except Jean. Jean was a 94 year old widow who lived five houses down from us. We first came to know her through my dog, Sammy. Whenever we took Sammy for walks and we passed by her house, she was often outside gardening. She would always tell us to wait right there while she got a treat for Sammy. Though she didn’t have a dog of her own anymore, as her dog had passed away a number of years ago, she bought dog treats just for the neighborhood dogs. She loved all of the dogs, but she always told Sammy he was her favorite dog. Before long, we were good friends with Jean. We shared stories, prayer requests, hugs, laughs, and smiles.
I was bought back to the present day remembering that it was Wednesday, the day Jean always went shopping for food at a local grocery store. Though she was old, she was sharp witted and quick thinking. She always insisting on driving herself to the store.
My neighbor spoke up again, “She got in a bad car accident this afternoon. Doctor’s say she has a crushed ankle, collapsed lung, several broken ribs, might have broken a spot in her skull and spine, and probably more.” He let a moment’s pause slip in between, then continued, “It’s real bad. It’d be hard for someone her age,” here he stopped and pointed to me, then continued, “to recover from something like that. But, well... she’s 94 years old, don’t know how much longer she has left.”
Then it struck me. She was old. We really didn’t know how much longer she had left. Why hadn’t we listened to her stories more? Why hadn’t we baked cookies for her and shown her more love? Why hadn’t we done that for our other neighbors? Even though most of our other neighbors weren’t as old as Jean was, their life could be taken in a split second as well.
So, saddened by the news, I baked cookies for her. My mom suggested making a card for Jean, and having everybody in the neighborhood who knew her sign it as well. I loved the idea, so I quickly got out some card making supplies and got to work. Before long, I had a decorated poster with room for signatures. We grabbed a container of rainbow colored gel pens and set out, ready to have people sign it for her. I thought it would be a quick thing. I was wrong. At each neighbor we stopped at, we talked for at least 30 minutes, normally longer. Each person was delighted to sign the card for their friend, as well as share stories with us and have several intent listeners. This time, I didn’t mind if the person signing the card had a thick smell of cigar smoke on them, I loved that they were taking the time to talk with us and sign the card.
As the day came to a close, and the sunset got lower and lower into the sky, until you couldn’t see the beautiful pink and blue raspberry colors anymore, we headed home with a poster full of loving signatures. A few days later, we visited Jean in the hospital, my hands full with our poster. We had given our cookies to her son to give to her, so she had already gotten our cookies. She was delighted to have the poster, signed not only by neighbors, but also signed for all of the neighborhood dogs, and had us set her poster right where she could see it.
Jean soon moved to a rehab center and was doing much better, much to my relief. But through all of that, Jean had set a beautiful example for me. She had shown me how important it is to love your neighbors. She was close friends with everybody who lived by her, unlike us. She showed love to them, gave the little kids cookies or candy, gave cards to people when they were sick or injured, and even bought treats for their dogs. Because of her, I now believe it’s important to love your neighbors. You don’t know how much longer you’ll have with them. You don’t know what sort of struggles in life they’re going through, unless you love them and show them you care.
Michaela Maas
Kelly Booth
9/29/2011
A New Beginning
It was a warm, pleasantly windy day in early August. It was Wednesday night, and I was taking my dog, Sammy, for a walk with my parents. We were quietly chattering amongst ourselves, when a loud, gruff voice broke the silence. “Hey!”, a man cried out, startling all of us. We turned abruptly, and saw our neighbor signaling to us. As we crossed the street to talk to him, we approached a heavy cloud of smoke. I hoped he wasn’t going to spend a lot of time talking with us, already the smell of his cigar was nauseating. His voice broke my thoughts, “Have you heard the news about Jean?”.
I was immediately taken aback, wondering what could have happened to Jean. We weren’t close friends with most of the people in our neighborhood. Sure, we waved to them if we saw them pass by, but we never really stopped and talked to any of them, except Jean. Jean was a 94 year old widow who lived five houses down from us. We first came to know her through my dog, Sammy. Whenever we took Sammy for walks and we passed by her house, she was often outside gardening. She would always tell us to wait right there while she got a treat for Sammy. Though she didn’t have a dog of her own anymore, as her dog had passed away a number of years ago, she bought dog treats just for the neighborhood dogs. She loved all of the dogs, but she always told Sammy he was her favorite dog. Before long, we were good friends with Jean. We shared stories, prayer requests, hugs, laughs, and smiles.
I was bought back to the present day remembering that it was Wednesday, the day Jean always went shopping for food at a local grocery store. Though she was old, she was sharp witted and quick thinking. She always insisting on driving herself to the store.
My neighbor spoke up again, “She got in a bad car accident this afternoon. Doctor’s say she has a crushed ankle, collapsed lung, several broken ribs, might have broken a spot in her skull and spine, and probably more.” He let a moment’s pause slip in between, then continued, “It’s real bad. It’d be hard for someone her age,” here he stopped and pointed to me, then continued, “to recover from something like that. But, well... she’s 94 years old, don’t know how much longer she has left.”
Then it struck me. She was old. We really didn’t know how much longer she had left. Why hadn’t we listened to her stories more? Why hadn’t we baked cookies for her and shown her more love? Why hadn’t we done that for our other neighbors? Even though most of our other neighbors weren’t as old as Jean was, their life could be taken in a split second as well.
So, saddened by the news, I baked cookies for her. My mom suggested making a card for Jean, and having everybody in the neighborhood who knew her sign it as well. I loved the idea, so I quickly got out some card making supplies and got to work. Before long, I had a decorated poster with room for signatures. We grabbed a container of rainbow colored gel pens and set out, ready to have people sign it for her. I thought it would be a quick thing. I was wrong. At each neighbor we stopped at, we talked for at least 30 minutes, normally longer. Each person was delighted to sign the card for their friend, as well as share stories with us and have several intent listeners. This time, I didn’t mind if the person signing the card had a thick smell of cigar smoke on them, I loved that they were taking the time to talk with us and sign the card.
As the day came to a close, and the sunset got lower and lower into the sky, until you couldn’t see the beautiful pink and blue raspberry colors anymore, we headed home with a poster full of loving signatures. A few days later, we visited Jean in the hospital, my hands full with our poster. We had given our cookies to her son to give to her, so she had already gotten our cookies. She was delighted to have the poster, signed not only by neighbors, but also signed for all of the neighborhood dogs, and had us set her poster right where she could see it.
Jean soon moved to a rehab center and was doing much better, much to my relief. But through all of that, Jean had set a beautiful example for me. She had shown me how important it is to love your neighbors. She was close friends with everybody who lived by her, unlike us. She showed love to them, gave the little kids cookies or candy, gave cards to people when they were sick or injured, and even bought treats for their dogs. Because of her, I now believe it’s important to love your neighbors. You don’t know how much longer you’ll have with them. You don’t know what sort of struggles in life they’re going through, unless you love them and show them you care.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)