firstfruits.

today, i spent a little bit of time thinking about firstfruits, and REALLY remembering how vital it is that we give that VERY FIRST and best portion to God... James 1:18 says we should be a kind of firstfruit of his creatures... i know this is a short thought, BUT, it's penetrating. . .
ask this question that i am asking myself,
am i living in a way that is offering MYSELF, my whole self, as a firstfruit to God?

it's easy to forget, but we have been given much.

fully convinced.

Romans 14:23.
"But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin."
The whole chapter of Romans 14 just floored me.  Looking at my life and seeing the words  "fully convinced"  (14:5 as an echo of Abraham in 4:21) I want to be FULLY CONVINCED.  These men of God, lived in a way so that they could not be persuaded to disobey God ...14:7- for none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone.  If we live, we live to the Lord and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

I am thankful for today has been a day of restfulness.  Now, I must start my work.

reflection on job.

this evening at Bible study we discussed Job... A man living before the law, but upright, and he feared God.  satan came to God, and God SUGGESTED satan try Job.  "Have you considered my servant Job?"  we discussed how God was essentially bragging about Job, so proud of the decisions that he made, and really knew that Job would "pass the test"...  this left me humbled, remembering that God allows us to be tried, but he also is so full of grace. he is proud as a father when we make the right choice for the right reason.
This is still ragging on me... that God might just be proud of me too... the question now comes to... what decisions in my life am i making where i know that i know that God is proud?

to the 4th graders... but to you too!

There is really nothing more that i would like to encourage you in that the best friend that you have is Jesus. He is always there to listen, someone to cry to and He will never leave you. Sometimes though, we need somebody "with skin on" a person to talk to, to be held by, somebody who comforts. The best place you will find this is with somebody who is a follower of Christ, I have found with my friends, i have the most encouragement, the best comfort and understanding is from those girl friends that are Christians, following God with their full heart... they have been there through the good and the bad... there's no need to hide anything, but to be honest and know that they love and accept me as i am and desire to see me become more like Christ.  I want to leave you encouraging you to not only look for friends like that, but more to BE A FRIEND LIKE THAT.  Jesus commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves, that means you must love others as you want to be loved.  you must listen as you want to be listened to.  hug like you want to be hugged.  and really just put somebody else's desires first.  it is in this you will uncover the most meaningful relationships... i love you girls.

Oh Jonah!

tonight i was humbled by the story of jonah, thinking about him RUNNING the opposite way of God's will, while still acknowledging God... seeing that he knew what to do and found no place for repenance in his heart, 3 days three long days of silence until he finally cried out to God, oh how stubborn!  (how much like me!?)  Jonah then being set free from this captivity by desire stirred... only then to be frustrated when GOD's will occurs and the people are brought to repentance. 
what an amazing story  what an encouragement...

where are the places that i see missing spots missing inklings of grace and the holes for truth... SPEAK THE TRUTH AND LIVE.

-peace.

trust.

what a huge word, as i reflect on what God's been teaching me, and even what i've seen Him doing in my friends lives, TRUST has been such a key word.
It's really all throughout scripture, how many times we're encouraged to simply trust.  the place we find strength (isa30:15) it's a place that's SAFE.  It's truly a joy. 
Trust, what is trust really.  I have a friend that mentioned that he's studying trust in psychology class today, and how he was just captured by the subject, i suppose i never really thought about trust from a "psychological" stand point... it's kinda been building inside of me, i suppose something i think about a bunch is how really do i express things... the depth of them, that sometimes i might not even understand, and cant' form the words... there's such a place, it's a place of glory, it's a place of freedom, it's a place where the truth is held to the highest priority.  I WANT TO LIVE THERE!  Trust, ruthless trust in the Lord with my whole heart, looks beyond circumstances and looks beyond my own heart.
that's all folks.  trust, simple whole hearted trust.
one step at a a time.

Shepard

today, i have spent and continue to spend time reflecting on, Hebrews 13:20-21

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

As i reflect on my life and where i've been for the past several years, i'll quckly acknowledge that i've been looking for a shepherd.  i've mentioned it in several conversations and i've definately lived my life in such a way that shows that to be true... to a degree, it's a place i've tried to have PEOPLE tell me what to do do enter into "safety"... but really thinking about shepards, Jesus Himself proclaimed "I am the Good Shepard." (john 10)

so, this means there's a "bad sheperd", or at the least a not so good shepard... these are the counterfeits.  the ones that either we've allowed to be the shepard in our lives, or the ones that we've listened to and been manipulated into following.  "My sheep know my voice" . . .
i have come that they may have life abundant (10:10)... we had a discussion yesterday while playing 20 questions about "what is alive" someone chimed in anything with a soul, there were some discussion about that and about animals having souls, etc... remembering my science classes, i chimed in what about the you know "5 kingdoms" so i looked up what they are, and stuff, and i also decided to look up the definiation of life,

Life is a characteristic of organisms that exhibit certain biological processes such as chemical reactions or other events that results in a transformation. Living organisms are capable of growth and reproduction, some can communicate and many can adapt to their environment through changes originating internally (from wikipedia)

THAT RESULTS IN A TRANSFORMATION!  He Has come that we might be transformed...and really, noone else can do that.
maybe today i'll find a field of sheep and go hang out... well maybe not, but it wouldn't be the worst idea in the world...