Monday, December 29, 2014
28 things I learned in 2014.
2014 has been a big year. There's been a lot of change. There's been a lot of growth. Between my last semester at Cornerstone, my trip to South Africa & Zimbabwe, my summer, and my first semester at Cedarville University, I've learned a lot about myself.
I learned that I......
1. Don't hate every kind of tea. I like two kinds: African roiboos and peach green.
2. Am able to run more than two miles. (I see you laughing. Stop. This is an accomplishment for me.)
3. Am really bad at Greek grammar. I survived that class by memorizing vocab and making educated guesses.
4. Can survive hours out in the blazing sun in a line full of budging people trying to cross the border from South Africa to Zimbabwe.
5. Can survive sleeping on a floor covered with black beetles.
6. Can survive living in a tent, collecting our own water and firewood, and having no communication with the outer world.
7. Can survive an African red wasp sting (Seriously...I have never been stung by anything in my life and I had no clue if I was allergic. So of course the first time I get stung is in the middle of the wilderness of Zimbabwe.)
8. Can survive walking to a long-drop toilet -- also the popular hang-out place of several bats -- in the pitch black. (Obviously Africa taught me that I can survive a lot of things...)
9. Still hate fish. Especially when I'm eating them complete with their scales and eyeballs.
10. Don't like lamb intestine. No surprise there. (These things were also courtesy of Africa.)
11. Am very small. Laying on top of a mountain and seeing millions of stars complete with the Milky Way coloration will put you in your rightful place.
12. Can fake being confident while giving a speech to the Head of School, Director of Development, Upper School Principal, Lower School Principal, and Spiritual Life Director. And then come up with on-the-spot answers to their questions. (My heart still beats a little fast when I think about it.)
13. Know some generous people. Graduation was like Christmas on steroids. Times one hundred.
14. Am not very good at making face masks. There might have been an incident where oatmeal and honey ended up all over the floor...and it wasn't even my floor. This was supposed to be a "fun babysitting activity"...
15. Must be doomed to go to school out in the middle of cornfields. Out of the frying pan, into the fire.
16. Thought I lived in the windiest state. Until I moved to Ohio.
17. Can never seem to escape smelling like Chuck's. (No, I'm not talking about a person. That's what Cedarville's cafeteria is called.)
18. Can eat cereal for dinner and nobody actually cares. And regardless of whether they cared or not, I can do what I want.
19. Am able to live in a dorm room the size of a large closet. WHILE sharing it with someone else.
20. Need to set more than two alarms each morning. There might possibly have been times that I missed my 8 AM class.....buuuuut I still got an A, so how much does it really matter?
21. Never remember how long to cook Ramen or popcorn (that popcorn button is deceptive...I thought I could trust it, but of course it burnt my food). So sticky notes on the microwave are a necessary thing.
22. Got a really great education from my high school. Even though I'm going to a rigorous university, the classes have seemed pretty easy so far (although they take a LOT of time).
23. Can operate for 18 hours after having only 4 hours of sleep the night before. And those 18 hours can consist of taking a final and getting a 97% on it, moving all of my belongings from one dorm room to another, setting up all my stuff, and actually having coherent conversations with people.
24. Need Jesus. A lot. This year has definitely humbled me and made me aware of my brokenness at a much deeper level than any other year.
25. Still struggle with so much idolatry and self-centeredness. But God has been faithful not just to reveal my sin, but also to show me that his grace is sufficient and he is more beautiful than anything else my heart could desire.
26. Am secure. My identity is wrapped up in who God is and who he declares me to be -- his beloved daughter.
27. Can trust my Father. He is so much bigger and more sovereign than I could ever imagine, and yet he is so much more personal and loving than I could ever imagine.
28. Have a lot more learning and growing to do. 2015 is going to be another big year!
Thursday, December 25, 2014
The first step.
I'll admit it. It's hard for me to even begin to wrap my mind around the story of Christmas. I mean, honestly, it is a really absurd story if you truly think about it.
The same God who created the entire universe subjected himself to coming to earth as a little baby? Born in a manger? As a nobody in society? It's crazy.
But the thing is, the "craziness" of the story is what actually makes it infinitely beautiful.
We talk about Jesus's act of going to the cross as the ultimate example of humility, but that was just the culminating last step in his journey. Each step that brought him closer to the cross required sacrifice. Especially the first step. And Christmas is all about that first step.
Think about it this way -- pretend you've already died and gone to heaven. You're in perfect fellowship with God, being filled with immeasurable joy and peace in his presence as you behold the fullness of his glory before your very eyes. It's so much better than you ever could have imagined -- your experience of God's presence is like plunging into and exploring the depths of the ocean, whereas on earth it was as if you were playing in a kiddie pool.
So there you are in heaven, fully content and fulfilled, and God asks you a question. "Will you leave heaven behind and instead go to the broken, sinful earth? Will you enter the world as a helpless baby, not even capable of comprehending the words that people are saying around you? Will you grow up living a lowly life, learning from your father how to carve wood? Will you live a life of ministry, forsaking your family and having no home? Will you spend the last 3 years of your life teaching and healing needy and sick people who will constantly bombard you when you are famished and sleep-deprived? Will you disciple twelve men, only to be betrayed by one of them so that you are unjustly arrested? Will you be forsaken by the crowds and condemned to a humiliating death on a cross? Will you be spat on, beaten, mocked, and then carry your cross to a hill where you will be in excruciating pain for 3 hours before you die a shameful death?
Will you leave my presence where you have fullness of joy, and instead live a life full of sorrow? And will you do it simply to save the lives of the very people who forsook you, spat on you, beat you, and mocked you?"
The main point of Christmas is that Jesus willingly chose to live life in reverse. From before the foundation of the world, He lived life in perfect harmony with the Father and the Spirit, in fullness of life -- but then he decided to descend into time and space to enter a broken, twisted, messed up world. He knew full well that he would be tempted, suffer, and be forsaken by sinners who he came to save. But being disowned by humans was nothing in comparison to who else he knew would disown him.
Leaving heaven was just the beginning of Jesus' departure from the perfect unity of the trinity. Coming to earth was his first step towards the cross, where the unity would be completely broken and his Father would forsake him. Jesus knew that at that time, the Father would withdraw the fullness of his love and instead pour out the fullness of his wrath. Yet that did not stop Jesus from coming.
He literally gave it all away. There was nothing that Jesus didn't have. Yet there was nothing that Jesus didn't freely surrender.
"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." - Philippians 2:5-8
The same God who created the entire universe subjected himself to coming to earth as a little baby? Born in a manger? As a nobody in society? It's crazy.
But the thing is, the "craziness" of the story is what actually makes it infinitely beautiful.
We talk about Jesus's act of going to the cross as the ultimate example of humility, but that was just the culminating last step in his journey. Each step that brought him closer to the cross required sacrifice. Especially the first step. And Christmas is all about that first step.
Think about it this way -- pretend you've already died and gone to heaven. You're in perfect fellowship with God, being filled with immeasurable joy and peace in his presence as you behold the fullness of his glory before your very eyes. It's so much better than you ever could have imagined -- your experience of God's presence is like plunging into and exploring the depths of the ocean, whereas on earth it was as if you were playing in a kiddie pool.
So there you are in heaven, fully content and fulfilled, and God asks you a question. "Will you leave heaven behind and instead go to the broken, sinful earth? Will you enter the world as a helpless baby, not even capable of comprehending the words that people are saying around you? Will you grow up living a lowly life, learning from your father how to carve wood? Will you live a life of ministry, forsaking your family and having no home? Will you spend the last 3 years of your life teaching and healing needy and sick people who will constantly bombard you when you are famished and sleep-deprived? Will you disciple twelve men, only to be betrayed by one of them so that you are unjustly arrested? Will you be forsaken by the crowds and condemned to a humiliating death on a cross? Will you be spat on, beaten, mocked, and then carry your cross to a hill where you will be in excruciating pain for 3 hours before you die a shameful death?
Will you leave my presence where you have fullness of joy, and instead live a life full of sorrow? And will you do it simply to save the lives of the very people who forsook you, spat on you, beat you, and mocked you?"
The main point of Christmas is that Jesus willingly chose to live life in reverse. From before the foundation of the world, He lived life in perfect harmony with the Father and the Spirit, in fullness of life -- but then he decided to descend into time and space to enter a broken, twisted, messed up world. He knew full well that he would be tempted, suffer, and be forsaken by sinners who he came to save. But being disowned by humans was nothing in comparison to who else he knew would disown him.
Leaving heaven was just the beginning of Jesus' departure from the perfect unity of the trinity. Coming to earth was his first step towards the cross, where the unity would be completely broken and his Father would forsake him. Jesus knew that at that time, the Father would withdraw the fullness of his love and instead pour out the fullness of his wrath. Yet that did not stop Jesus from coming.
He literally gave it all away. There was nothing that Jesus didn't have. Yet there was nothing that Jesus didn't freely surrender.
"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." - Philippians 2:5-8
Monday, December 1, 2014
The biggest lie we believe.
My sin separates me from God. Even though I have received salvation, my sin is a barrier to my relationship with God. I need to live a righteous, holy life so that I can stay in fellowship with God. When I fail, I better spend a lot of time in the Word and in prayer to make it up to God and get back on his good side. It might also help if I also feel extremely guilty and make promises to God about how I'm committing to stop sinning. Maybe then, the perpetual disappointment he has when he looks at me will be somewhat appeased.
LIE.
Paul was not kidding around when he said, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Rom 8:1)
No condemnation. NONE.
Christ paid for every single sin on the cross. Nothing we can do will ever surprise God. He knows everything we have done and everything we will do from before our birth till after our death.
Paul was also not kidding around when he said "[Nothing] in all of creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 8:31)
Because of Christ's sacrifice on the cross, the curtain of separation between us and God was torn in two. We have full, complete access to fellowship with the Father. Nothing we can do will ever be able to separate us from his acceptance and love for us.
Because he is not surprised by our sin, he is also not disappointed in our sin. Of course he desires for us not to sin because he knows the destruction that it brings in our lives and he knows the life and freedom that a righteous life offers. But no matter how much we fail, his attitude towards us is always 100% delight. This is because his view of us is not based on our lives, but rather it is based on Christ's perfect life. Christ exchanged his righteous record for our sinful record on the cross, which means that no matter how much we sin, God sees nothing but a sinless life in our place.
Let's stop denying God his power. He conquered sin and death on the cross, which defeated our sin once and for all. He has also placed his Spirit in us -- the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead. When we bask in our guilt, we are elevating our sin to a position above the Spirit in our hearts. When we continue in habitual sin, we are saying to God, "I don't believe that you can really help me overcome this. My sin is too big." But God has empowered us through the Spirit to stop sinning and instead live for his glory.
Therefore, our sin does not separate us from God because he already knows about it, he already paid for it on the cross, and he already has given us the means to overcome it by the Spirit.
What would our lives look like if we truly believed that God loves us and delights in us continually? What if we laid down our heavy burdens of guilt, shame, and fear at the foot of the cross and instead danced and sang for joy because of the freedom that we ALREADY HAVE in Christ?
There would be no time to sin if our lives were instead consumed by worship.
Let's stop believing the lie and instead start believing in God's power.
{Disclaimer: I am not saying that our sin does not in any way affect our relationship with God. Although I wholeheartedly believe that God's attitude toward us can never change due to our sin, I definitely believe that our attitude towards God is greatly affected by our sin. Sin does damage our relationship with God because sin is an action of turning away from God and turning towards something else -- or in other words, sin is an act of rejection (on OUR part) of the fellowship that God is willingly offering us.}
LIE.
Paul was not kidding around when he said, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Rom 8:1)
No condemnation. NONE.
Christ paid for every single sin on the cross. Nothing we can do will ever surprise God. He knows everything we have done and everything we will do from before our birth till after our death.
Paul was also not kidding around when he said "[Nothing] in all of creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 8:31)
Because of Christ's sacrifice on the cross, the curtain of separation between us and God was torn in two. We have full, complete access to fellowship with the Father. Nothing we can do will ever be able to separate us from his acceptance and love for us.
Because he is not surprised by our sin, he is also not disappointed in our sin. Of course he desires for us not to sin because he knows the destruction that it brings in our lives and he knows the life and freedom that a righteous life offers. But no matter how much we fail, his attitude towards us is always 100% delight. This is because his view of us is not based on our lives, but rather it is based on Christ's perfect life. Christ exchanged his righteous record for our sinful record on the cross, which means that no matter how much we sin, God sees nothing but a sinless life in our place.
Let's stop denying God his power. He conquered sin and death on the cross, which defeated our sin once and for all. He has also placed his Spirit in us -- the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead. When we bask in our guilt, we are elevating our sin to a position above the Spirit in our hearts. When we continue in habitual sin, we are saying to God, "I don't believe that you can really help me overcome this. My sin is too big." But God has empowered us through the Spirit to stop sinning and instead live for his glory.
Therefore, our sin does not separate us from God because he already knows about it, he already paid for it on the cross, and he already has given us the means to overcome it by the Spirit.
What would our lives look like if we truly believed that God loves us and delights in us continually? What if we laid down our heavy burdens of guilt, shame, and fear at the foot of the cross and instead danced and sang for joy because of the freedom that we ALREADY HAVE in Christ?
There would be no time to sin if our lives were instead consumed by worship.
Let's stop believing the lie and instead start believing in God's power.
{Disclaimer: I am not saying that our sin does not in any way affect our relationship with God. Although I wholeheartedly believe that God's attitude toward us can never change due to our sin, I definitely believe that our attitude towards God is greatly affected by our sin. Sin does damage our relationship with God because sin is an action of turning away from God and turning towards something else -- or in other words, sin is an act of rejection (on OUR part) of the fellowship that God is willingly offering us.}
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)