I seriously haven't updated since March!? Wowza! Well, I've been up to a lot...not really actually. :) I have two days of summer school left, and then I'm officially graduated! I can't believe it...God has been sooooo good to me, and He's helped me get this far. It's in His strength alone that I do anything.
I've been packing for Korea, and my room isn't a pretty sight! I'm sending some things ahead of me, such as winter clothes, and they're all over the place. But, so be it! I'm so so so very much excited to go over there. I can't wait to see how God will use me. I wan't to be like gum. Totally able to be bent and twisted and smooshed and just pliable. Useable. Not stiff and unwilling. I want to be a testimony in my actions and words (but my actions more because people will remember those more.) I want to share Christ with everyone I meet. I don't want to be ashamed of His gospel. I have so much that I want to do for God, and while I'm only one person, He can do great things through me if He chooses. I'm not seeking fame and acknowledgement...I'm seeking 'well done good and faithful servant' from my Father. From the lips of my God when I see Him in Heaven some day. If He chooses not to use me in big ways, I'm willing to do whatever He has planned. I'm flexible! :)
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Poems
GOD, I ASK
God, I ask why?
My human heart can't understand!
But I have confidence in you
I know that by your grace
I'm safe in your mighty hand
God, I ask where?
My feet don't know where they should go!
But I have confidence in you
That you will lead me where
Your perfect will has called me to
God, I ask how?
My mortal strength is gone, I'm weak!
But I have confidence in you
That you will give to me
From your hand all the strength I need
God, I ask what?
I do not have the words to speak!
But I have confidence in you
That you will speak through me
And that my tongue your grace will lead
God, I say yes!
Just send me where you need me now
For I have confidence in you
That if I give my life
You will use this sinner some how
ON MY KNEES
The power of prayer, I know it well
I see God's love at work in me
Though others doubt, in God I trust
I'll live this life upon my knees
It's pressing on when people fail
And waves arise and break on me
It's lifting up my voice to God
It's living life upon my knees
The power of prayer, to win the lost
To open blinded eyes to see
It's God who hears my earnest pleas
When I live life upon my knees
And when I reach that glorious shore
My Savior's face I'll finally see
I'll praise His name forever more
Before His throne upon my knees
God, I ask why?
My human heart can't understand!
But I have confidence in you
I know that by your grace
I'm safe in your mighty hand
God, I ask where?
My feet don't know where they should go!
But I have confidence in you
That you will lead me where
Your perfect will has called me to
God, I ask how?
My mortal strength is gone, I'm weak!
But I have confidence in you
That you will give to me
From your hand all the strength I need
God, I ask what?
I do not have the words to speak!
But I have confidence in you
That you will speak through me
And that my tongue your grace will lead
God, I say yes!
Just send me where you need me now
For I have confidence in you
That if I give my life
You will use this sinner some how
ON MY KNEES
The power of prayer, I know it well
I see God's love at work in me
Though others doubt, in God I trust
I'll live this life upon my knees
It's pressing on when people fail
And waves arise and break on me
It's lifting up my voice to God
It's living life upon my knees
The power of prayer, to win the lost
To open blinded eyes to see
It's God who hears my earnest pleas
When I live life upon my knees
And when I reach that glorious shore
My Savior's face I'll finally see
I'll praise His name forever more
Before His throne upon my knees
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Death Is
I just finished reading about John and Betty Stam, and of course I cried. THeir life was so short, but so passionate and they just really persevered. It's like...we shouldn't ask God to prolong our life here on earth so we can have more time to tell people about Him and see people saved, but rather we should beg Him to use what little time we have in a spectacular way. I WANT to go to Heaven, but I also want to stay here, but I know that no matter what happens, it'll be just right and perfect.
Death is precious life eternal
Free from sin and guilt and fear
Death is seeing Jesus' glory
Knowing He's forever near
Death is casting off our sorrow
And then taking up our crowns
Death is worshiping forever
As we lay our burdens down
Death is home, our place in Heaven
And a new name all our own
Death is seeing God exalted
Lifted high upon His throne
Death is saints who've gone before us
That we'll meet on streets of gold
Death is singing praise to Jesus
As His radiance we behold
Death is nothing save amazing
For we'll see our King of Grace
No, I have no fear of dying
When I've bravely run this race
As the sin on earth surrounds me
And I long for Heaven above I will wait for that great moment
When death brings me home to love
I Pray for Laborers
I've been praying a lot lately that more young people will desire to serve God on the mission field. There is so much we've been given, why can't we ALL give it back to God? People are so passive and uncaring...or rather caring only about their own comfort. Our mission is to spread the gospel to the whole world for Christ's sake. I hate sin...and the fact that it makes people not care about the things of God anymore. Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm faaaaaaaar from perfect in an sense of the word and I still mess up, fall down, and fail, but I'm growing a desire for GOd to use me, and it's ongoing. I want to pray for people to be lifted up and sent out to reap the harvest. The laborers are few...the Master asks us to go. We NEED to go.
In the Land of Fadeless Day
Here's a song that I've really come to love. It's an old, beautiful hymn that really speaks to my heart. I can't wait to go to this place where there is no night. Where God is, and I can praise Him forever without end.
In the land of fadeless day
Lies the city four-square;
It shall never pass away,
And there is no night there.
God shall wipe away all tears;
There's no death, no pain, nor fears;
And they count not time by years;
For there is no night there.
All the gates of pearl are made
In the city four-square;
All the streets with gold are laid,
And there is no night there.
And the gates shall never close
To the city four-square;
There life's crystal river flows,
And there is no night there.
There they need no sunshine bright,
In that city four-square;
For the Lamb is all the light,
And there is no night there.
What a beautiful description that can't even begin to describe Heaven's glory! I honestly can only imagine and then times my imaginations by infinity because that's how beautiful Heaven will be! I'm not afraid of death for Christ's sake. Pain will be temporary and nothing can compare to the glory that waits.
In the land of fadeless day
Lies the city four-square;
It shall never pass away,
And there is no night there.
God shall wipe away all tears;
There's no death, no pain, nor fears;
And they count not time by years;
For there is no night there.
All the gates of pearl are made
In the city four-square;
All the streets with gold are laid,
And there is no night there.
And the gates shall never close
To the city four-square;
There life's crystal river flows,
And there is no night there.
There they need no sunshine bright,
In that city four-square;
For the Lamb is all the light,
And there is no night there.
What a beautiful description that can't even begin to describe Heaven's glory! I honestly can only imagine and then times my imaginations by infinity because that's how beautiful Heaven will be! I'm not afraid of death for Christ's sake. Pain will be temporary and nothing can compare to the glory that waits.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
The Three P's
I’ve been reading a bunch of missionary biographies in the last few weeks. I’m doing this because I want to study the ways of those servants of God who gave their all for Him and we used in mighty ways. Why did they do it, how did they do it, what did they do, and what did God do? I’ve read 7 at this point, and my goal is 30. So far I’ve noticed three P’s. I honestly didn’t have to think about these to make them all start with the same letter, but they really were what I noticed. I wanted to expand on them for my own sake because I’m really trying to learn from these warriors how to live a life of faith and service to God. I might not be the next Mary Slessor or George Muller, but I can have a mindset and heart like they did. My goal isn’t to become world famous and have books written about me, but my goal is to win souls to Christ and to spread the gospel across the world, all of this with God’s help. I want to be a servant who is totally willing to do her Master’s will. I want to be a worker who does everything with all her might for God and no anyone else. I want to be the person is spends and is spent all for Jesus. I want to let God use me however He sees fit, wherever, whenever, and with whom ever. Just to be used by God is my greatest goal next to loving Him. The three P’s:
Prayer was a theme that was woven throughout all of the missionary biographies I have read. The power of prayer was evident by God’s working through these missionaries to reach people for Christ, bring in resources, money, and food, and overcome barriers such as language, culture, and physical needs. These people who dedicated their lives to God would not have been successful in their prayer lives had they not held, in an unwavering way, to their faith that God can move mountains and break down any walls as He sees the need. 1 John 5:14-15 reads "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him.” Prayer works, it is effective, and this was proven literally countless times through these prayer warriors. They went through life on their knees, spending sometimes hours a day begging God for the salvation of souls that were bound to sin’s death, for basic every day needs like food and clothing and building supplies, and for mountains that seemed too high to climb like language barriers, cannibalism, terrain, government, and many other horrific sins. And what did we see happen because of this? They were always provided for, many people became children of God, and countless walls were broken down, some that seemed too strong and high. James 5:16 states “the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” God hears, and God works through those who are willing to daily give life’s struggles and burdens over to Him so that He can carry out His perfect plan. These missionaries did not rely on themselves or those around them, but they solely and confidently relied on God alone to get them through every day. They relied on Lamentations 3:23’s mercies that are new every morning and 2 Corinthians 12:9’s grace that is sufficient and power that is made perfect in weakness and Psalm 73:26’s strength of God when our flesh is weak. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” This life of prayer was consistently lived out by these missionaries. They were not perfect people by any stretch of the imagination, but instead, they let God use their sinful weaknesses to show His power, glory, might, and will through them. They had nothing going for them except to trust in God and give their lives daily to Him so He could use them.
Passion drove these humble spreaders of God’s word. The passion of living life completely for God and nothing else, the passion of seeing lost souls won from the grip of hell, the passion of relying on God for everything, the passion of going wherever He wanted them to go, and the passion of working for the ultimate goal of a crown in Heaven and their precious Jesus saying “Well done good and faithful servant.” Romans 12:11 commands believers to be “fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.” If you look at people such as Paul and Stephen and many other preachers and martyrs of the New Testament, you see that they were so passionate about doing God’s work that they endured shipwrecks, stoning, jail, persecution, and in many case, death. They didn’t have a love for the world, but a passion for God. They didn’t care what people thought of them in respect to worldly things, but they cared only about getting the message of Jesus’ death and love to a dying world. Psalm 126:5-6 says “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goes forth and weeps, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." I’m sure that these missionaries, both in the distant past and in the present, wept over the lost souls begging God to save those who were dying and going to hell every day without knowing God and the eternal life that they could have. They were passionate about these things, and they did reap the harvest of souls in joy. Psalm 97:10a says “Ye that love the Lord, hate evil…” These people hated evil and sin that trapped and cocooned the world, and they desired nothing more than to see God lifted up and the sin thrown away and crushed by the power of God. God used their passion for Him and things of His word to work in mighty ways in hearts all over the world. If these missionaries had not had this undying passion for God and souls, they would have done their work half heartedly and would have possibly given up when times got hard. But they cared little of other things except their passion for God.
Perseverance was the third common trait that I noticed in these missionaries. They were lifers. Once they realized their goal in life, to serve God, they kept going until their dying day. “Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.” Romans 12:12. These people did rejoice in hope. They loved Christ’s appearing, and they never took their eyes off of Jesus and Heaven. They knew what was ahead for the servant who gave it all for God, and this was their hope. All of the missionaries I read about faced the same thing: persecution. It came in so many ways, and no matter what, they all had the same outcome. They just persevered for the sake of the gospel, for the will of God, for the love of their Jesus, for the hope of glory, and for the salvation of souls. They didn’t have fancy, easy lives. Usually they lived with minimal comforts, and they adopted the culture and ways of living on whatever mission field they went to. They were very patient in suffering. And, as I wrote about before, they did persevere in prayer. God knew everything that they would ask before they asked it, but He still loved their fellowship with Him. Prayer was not a ritual or drudgery, but rather a special, intimate time talking with their Father and giving up burden and heartache and troubles onto His much stronger shoulders. Prayer was a beautiful communion between a Father and His child, and it was cherished. Romans 8:25 says “for we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” They couldn’t see Jesus and Heaven yet, but they had the promise and they clung to the hope. “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:7-8. This is the verse that these missionaries lived. They did fall down, sin, and fail, but they got back up, put on the Lord’s armor, and fought the good fight against sin and death, and for life and peace. They were courageous soldiers for Christ who knew that their commander, Jesus, had already won the victory. They kept pushing on in this fight until they won as they passed from this life into glory. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” This was the reason that they persevered: for the kingdom of God. For furthering it and for entering it. They did not shy away from the greatness of the number of unreached people or the trials and would be ahead, but they pressed on. “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14-15. Their eyes were on Jesus and the prize, on Heaven’s shore where they would finally see Jesus, be perfect, and rest forever. They persevered for God’s sake. They were passionate for God’s sake. They prayed to God for the sake of the world.
A lot of people don’t think it’s necessary to go to other parts of the world to reach the lost because workers and people are needed right where they are to carry the load and reach out to the lost. This is true, but how many people have heard the gospel, especially in America, as opposed to some parts of the world that have literally never even heard the name of Jesus? There are many places, I’m sure. More workers are needed in the rest of the world that will go and reap the harvest of souls. They’re ready, and God is looking for people who will devote themselves to prayer, passion, and perseverance for the cause of Christ and the cross. So, maybe we won’t all be missionaries, but anyone can have this mindset wherever they are. God has also given us a job to do right where He has put us, no matter how small. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24. God is looking for our best wherever we are. He chose to use these missionaries in great ways all over the world, but a small work in a small town by an unknown person is just as important to God. Whether we’re a missionary or a worker where we are, we’re doing it for God. TO bring Him glory and to see souls saved should be our greatest joy. WE might not always see the results here, but we will in Heaven when He says, “Well done,” which I personally cannot wait to hear.
Lord, use me however you will. I give myself, my life, my wants, my hopes, my dreams, and all of my heart to you to do with what you see fit. Send me and I will go. Ask me and I will do it. Help me and I will thank you. Bless me and I will praise you. Bring me trials and I will praise you. Let me life be pleasing to you and let it be used to reach many people for your kingdom. Let me hold nothing back, but let me move ahead on my knees and in confidence that you who have begun a good work in me will continue it until I reach Heaven.
Prayer was a theme that was woven throughout all of the missionary biographies I have read. The power of prayer was evident by God’s working through these missionaries to reach people for Christ, bring in resources, money, and food, and overcome barriers such as language, culture, and physical needs. These people who dedicated their lives to God would not have been successful in their prayer lives had they not held, in an unwavering way, to their faith that God can move mountains and break down any walls as He sees the need. 1 John 5:14-15 reads "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him.” Prayer works, it is effective, and this was proven literally countless times through these prayer warriors. They went through life on their knees, spending sometimes hours a day begging God for the salvation of souls that were bound to sin’s death, for basic every day needs like food and clothing and building supplies, and for mountains that seemed too high to climb like language barriers, cannibalism, terrain, government, and many other horrific sins. And what did we see happen because of this? They were always provided for, many people became children of God, and countless walls were broken down, some that seemed too strong and high. James 5:16 states “the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” God hears, and God works through those who are willing to daily give life’s struggles and burdens over to Him so that He can carry out His perfect plan. These missionaries did not rely on themselves or those around them, but they solely and confidently relied on God alone to get them through every day. They relied on Lamentations 3:23’s mercies that are new every morning and 2 Corinthians 12:9’s grace that is sufficient and power that is made perfect in weakness and Psalm 73:26’s strength of God when our flesh is weak. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” This life of prayer was consistently lived out by these missionaries. They were not perfect people by any stretch of the imagination, but instead, they let God use their sinful weaknesses to show His power, glory, might, and will through them. They had nothing going for them except to trust in God and give their lives daily to Him so He could use them.
Passion drove these humble spreaders of God’s word. The passion of living life completely for God and nothing else, the passion of seeing lost souls won from the grip of hell, the passion of relying on God for everything, the passion of going wherever He wanted them to go, and the passion of working for the ultimate goal of a crown in Heaven and their precious Jesus saying “Well done good and faithful servant.” Romans 12:11 commands believers to be “fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.” If you look at people such as Paul and Stephen and many other preachers and martyrs of the New Testament, you see that they were so passionate about doing God’s work that they endured shipwrecks, stoning, jail, persecution, and in many case, death. They didn’t have a love for the world, but a passion for God. They didn’t care what people thought of them in respect to worldly things, but they cared only about getting the message of Jesus’ death and love to a dying world. Psalm 126:5-6 says “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goes forth and weeps, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." I’m sure that these missionaries, both in the distant past and in the present, wept over the lost souls begging God to save those who were dying and going to hell every day without knowing God and the eternal life that they could have. They were passionate about these things, and they did reap the harvest of souls in joy. Psalm 97:10a says “Ye that love the Lord, hate evil…” These people hated evil and sin that trapped and cocooned the world, and they desired nothing more than to see God lifted up and the sin thrown away and crushed by the power of God. God used their passion for Him and things of His word to work in mighty ways in hearts all over the world. If these missionaries had not had this undying passion for God and souls, they would have done their work half heartedly and would have possibly given up when times got hard. But they cared little of other things except their passion for God.
Perseverance was the third common trait that I noticed in these missionaries. They were lifers. Once they realized their goal in life, to serve God, they kept going until their dying day. “Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.” Romans 12:12. These people did rejoice in hope. They loved Christ’s appearing, and they never took their eyes off of Jesus and Heaven. They knew what was ahead for the servant who gave it all for God, and this was their hope. All of the missionaries I read about faced the same thing: persecution. It came in so many ways, and no matter what, they all had the same outcome. They just persevered for the sake of the gospel, for the will of God, for the love of their Jesus, for the hope of glory, and for the salvation of souls. They didn’t have fancy, easy lives. Usually they lived with minimal comforts, and they adopted the culture and ways of living on whatever mission field they went to. They were very patient in suffering. And, as I wrote about before, they did persevere in prayer. God knew everything that they would ask before they asked it, but He still loved their fellowship with Him. Prayer was not a ritual or drudgery, but rather a special, intimate time talking with their Father and giving up burden and heartache and troubles onto His much stronger shoulders. Prayer was a beautiful communion between a Father and His child, and it was cherished. Romans 8:25 says “for we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” They couldn’t see Jesus and Heaven yet, but they had the promise and they clung to the hope. “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:7-8. This is the verse that these missionaries lived. They did fall down, sin, and fail, but they got back up, put on the Lord’s armor, and fought the good fight against sin and death, and for life and peace. They were courageous soldiers for Christ who knew that their commander, Jesus, had already won the victory. They kept pushing on in this fight until they won as they passed from this life into glory. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” This was the reason that they persevered: for the kingdom of God. For furthering it and for entering it. They did not shy away from the greatness of the number of unreached people or the trials and would be ahead, but they pressed on. “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14-15. Their eyes were on Jesus and the prize, on Heaven’s shore where they would finally see Jesus, be perfect, and rest forever. They persevered for God’s sake. They were passionate for God’s sake. They prayed to God for the sake of the world.
A lot of people don’t think it’s necessary to go to other parts of the world to reach the lost because workers and people are needed right where they are to carry the load and reach out to the lost. This is true, but how many people have heard the gospel, especially in America, as opposed to some parts of the world that have literally never even heard the name of Jesus? There are many places, I’m sure. More workers are needed in the rest of the world that will go and reap the harvest of souls. They’re ready, and God is looking for people who will devote themselves to prayer, passion, and perseverance for the cause of Christ and the cross. So, maybe we won’t all be missionaries, but anyone can have this mindset wherever they are. God has also given us a job to do right where He has put us, no matter how small. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24. God is looking for our best wherever we are. He chose to use these missionaries in great ways all over the world, but a small work in a small town by an unknown person is just as important to God. Whether we’re a missionary or a worker where we are, we’re doing it for God. TO bring Him glory and to see souls saved should be our greatest joy. WE might not always see the results here, but we will in Heaven when He says, “Well done,” which I personally cannot wait to hear.
Lord, use me however you will. I give myself, my life, my wants, my hopes, my dreams, and all of my heart to you to do with what you see fit. Send me and I will go. Ask me and I will do it. Help me and I will thank you. Bless me and I will praise you. Bring me trials and I will praise you. Let me life be pleasing to you and let it be used to reach many people for your kingdom. Let me hold nothing back, but let me move ahead on my knees and in confidence that you who have begun a good work in me will continue it until I reach Heaven.
The First Thing I Will See
When I step on Heaven's shore and see the golden streets
The beauty of the place that God has made for me
I will run into my mansion and I'll try on my crown
But before I start my new life the first thing I will see
Is Jesus seated on His throne
Surrounded by the saints of old in glory
Jesus, I'll stop and sing my praise
With joy I'll raise my hands to Him
And thank Him for salvation
And His grace
I will see the ones I loved who saw their Jesus first
And we'll talk about our Savior and worship at His feet
There will be so much I want to do for I have unending days
But before I start my new life the first thing I will see
Is Jesus seated on His throne
Surrounded by the saints of old in glory
Jesus, I'll stop and sing my praise
With joy I'll raise my hands to Him
And thank Him for salvation
And His grace
I can't wait to get to Heaven! I want to see Jesus...to look at His beautiful face and open my mouth and just praise Him. Thank Him. Glorify Him in my perfect body with my new name. For His grace, for His mercy, for His sacrifice, for His unending, undying, over the top, amazing wonderful love! THat day can't come soon enough. God give me grace to serve you faithfully while I'm here.
The beauty of the place that God has made for me
I will run into my mansion and I'll try on my crown
But before I start my new life the first thing I will see
Is Jesus seated on His throne
Surrounded by the saints of old in glory
Jesus, I'll stop and sing my praise
With joy I'll raise my hands to Him
And thank Him for salvation
And His grace
I will see the ones I loved who saw their Jesus first
And we'll talk about our Savior and worship at His feet
There will be so much I want to do for I have unending days
But before I start my new life the first thing I will see
Is Jesus seated on His throne
Surrounded by the saints of old in glory
Jesus, I'll stop and sing my praise
With joy I'll raise my hands to Him
And thank Him for salvation
And His grace
I can't wait to get to Heaven! I want to see Jesus...to look at His beautiful face and open my mouth and just praise Him. Thank Him. Glorify Him in my perfect body with my new name. For His grace, for His mercy, for His sacrifice, for His unending, undying, over the top, amazing wonderful love! THat day can't come soon enough. God give me grace to serve you faithfully while I'm here.
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