Putting People In Your Thoughts.

Romans 15:2 "We should please others. If we do what helps them,
we will build them up in the Lord."

It's so easy for me to constantly be thinking about my plans and my problems
meanwhile, i disregard the plans and problems of those around me.

So, my challenge for this week is to think of someone that I should put in my thoughts {and prayers}.
And possibly do a little something sweet to let them know I care...
and show them a little bit of God's love, because that's the goal right?!

{Through The Bible In One Year Update: Leviticus 1}

Praise for the Day: My van is working again!

up

[Be still and know that I am God.]
Psalm 46:10

Bekah Gunthrie makes me laugh and it was so fun to catch up with her at our last Bible study. This catch up conversation, like every catch up conversation, pitched the question, "What are you doing now?"
That's answerable. I'm running around like a crazy person. Answering that question truthfully, though, is a bit of a reality check. If you answer with a huge smile and start talking about something you're crazy excited about, you're probably on the right path.
If you talk about 'what you're doing now' with hesitance and can't wait to change the subject, you're probably doing something wrong.

The next catch up question people always ask is, "What's next, what's your plan?"
When people ask me this, I fumble around my head for my plan--as if I owe it to their curiosity. How stupid is that?! I don't make plans! And if I did I wouldn't trust them.

I panic about most of the plans I make. We talked about how our generation is so preoccupied with what we're SUPPOSED to be doing that we miss out on just doing what we like. If we do what we like, while focusing on God, we can do his work with less chaos.

so...
I NEED TO FOCUS ON DOING WHAT I LIKE.

I like a lot of things, so this caused a brand new panic. But Bekah made a great point, saying that if God places a passion within a person, there must be a reason for it.
I need to keep God in the center of my life and just do what I love to do.

So I'm done trying to figure things out, and running a head race inside myself, I am just holding my mind still, until God helps me sort it all out.--and there is so much muck to sort through.

For now I will just hold myself still and steady, I will know that my God is God, and I will purge myself of the anxiety of plan making. It all belongs to God.

And once I determine my direction, I will shoot out like my own legs from under me when I slipped on the ice yesterday, in pursuit of happiness as a part of God's work.

The Tongue

After Bible Study today, I was feeling motivated to read some more out of the James. So I sat down with my afternoon coffee and read through James. That book is absolutely jam-packed with some amazing stuff! A few things really stuck out to me. It's funny how you read things during certain seasons of your life, and how they speak to you. Today it was the tongue.

The majority of chapter 3 is about taming the tongue. The illustrations of a tiny little rudder steering a huge boat, and a forest fire being started by a spark are great ways to show just how powerful the tongue is. Such a small part of the body having such a significant impact, whether its good or bad, is a little bit frightening.

As I was reading this, my mind jumped ahead to what will be going down next week. We are going to Chile to bring the great news that Jesus Christ loves everyone and wants them to spend eternity with Him in heaven! They will be watching us. They will be listening to us. We have a great responsibility to show them the love and the grace and the compassion that God would show them. We are going to be "Jesus with skin on". Weird analogy I know, but puts things in perspective for me.

But at the same time I feel very blessed, knowing that I have this great "tool" to spread the love of God with! God, may I be wise with this gift you have given me, may I use it for your glory!

Talking to God Outloud

[james 5:16]

"The prayer of the righteous person is powerful and effective."

What if I'm pretty sure I went almost the entire week without acknowledging God at all?

That is so not righteous.

I was just in a miserable mood.
I don't even have my period.
So...

Last night, I was thinking I had had enough of my being down and dumpy. And I trust praying more than anything to shake my misery. Pray: Be still, be cured. Every time. So why couldn't I bring myself to pray?

[But how cool is it to have faith in your own prayers, as truth and actual communication?]

Anyway. Standing before God after you've ignored him for a few days is not an easy thing. But the longer I put it off, the harder I was thinking it would be. Sometimes I just want God to make the first move.

[Like when you text your friends all the time, and they always respond, and want to hang out, and that's GREAT, but sometimes, just for reassurance, you want them to text first. Take some initiative, friends.]

Take some initiative, God.

I stumbled across this verse in James. Knowing I'm not a very righteous person, I thought maybe I shouldn't pray at all. Nah, let's break down the word. It starts with RIGHT. That's what I am. About this whole thing. I'm always right about everything.

Coming clean might be the most intimate moment a praying girl can feel with her God. What's more right than saying, "God, bring me back."
Powerful and Effective. I woke up, thankful, in God.

We Are Loved.

Eph. 3:18 "And may you have the power to understand,

as all God's people should, how wide, how long,

how high, and how deep his love really is."

Remember today: God loves you more than you can imagine!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Prioritizing.

Joshua 1:8 "Study this Book of the Law continually.
Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it.
Only then will you succeed."

After dinner, it's easy for me to slip my sweats on and spend the rest of my night checking facebook, browsing through blogs, and catching up on my favorite tv episodes on hulu.
But it's hard for me to make time to sit, clear my mind, and meditate on God's word.
Sure, I can read my bible or read over a quick daily devotional, but doing thorough devotions and spending a significant amount of time in prayer has, unfortunately, not been a daily pursuit of mine.

God says in Jos.1:8 that Joshua should continually be meditating on his word. Now, we might not be able to spend our entire day reading the bible, but surely we can spend our days working to develop a deeper relationship with God {through worship, prayer, devotions, etc.}.


Here are some goals for this week:
-Pick out activities in my schedule that are unnecessary
-Cut back or give up these activities
-Learn to replace these activities with ones that bring me closer to God
-Come up with reminders to keep praying a priority
-Ideas for unique ways to do devotions


{Through The Bible In One Year Update: Currently Reading Exodus 30}

Praise for the Day: A loving family to spend Valentine's Day with.