From of Old

Have you ever thought about the fact that you know a God from old? (Of course I'm talking to those of you who know God as your personal savior, and if you don't, I would love to tell you how.)  

It is crazy to me to think that God's love, faithfulness, kindness, goodness...his very being has been around since...well...there was never really a time when it wasn't.  

Does that not blow your mind?  I mean, for reals, think about it.  

God has ALWAYS existed.  He has ALWAYS been around.  Before earth was created, it was just him.  Before anything that we have come to know, before history happened, there was God.  Gives a whole new meaning to 'from of old', right?

I'm not necessarily writing to make us dwell on how 'old' God is, but just the fact that he has been around since before we can imagine.  

So with that thought in mind, why wouldn't we trust his word, and his promises, and his love and goodness?  Honestly, this is a question more for myself than it is for anyone else.  Why do I struggle with trusting God?  Wouldn't he be the most trustworthy person ever? Ever, ever?  I mean, he is the author of everything I know, and don't know.  He was around before I came into being, and will still be around long after my bones dry up.  He is a 'know it all', literally.  His wisdom exceeds everything.  

So why do I struggle?

I mean, I know the answer.  I have a sin nature, and I hate it.  It makes me struggle.  And all I can do is remember verse 7 from above, and I know that the God from of old will do what he says.  

Do you struggle with trusting God?  I do.  A lot.  If I may, knowing God's age, or lack thereof, should be proof enough that he knows what he is doing and that we should trust him.  I seriously have to remind myself of this all. the. time.  

God loves us, ya'll, and desperately wants us to know his character and bestow his wisdom and goodness on us.

I know this post is a little random, but God just put this on my heart and I wanted to share.

Love ya'll!

Laura  

Highs and Lows

So our pastor has been going through a sermon series called 'Something Better' in the books of Kings over the summer, and I have been doing my own additional reading in Kings along with him.  

I know it can be hard to read through the Old Testament sometimes and wonder how in the world does it apply to your life right now, but if you have a little bit of imagination, you can see that the Old Testament is chocked full of great lessons, and DRAMA.  Seriously, if someone were to take the OT and put it to music, it would put that famous 'daaaah-duh' jaws theme to shame.  

This morning I was reading about Solomon and his obedience in building the temple for the Lord and what a great accomplishment it was for him.  I Kings 8 wraps up the celebration and dedication of the temple to the Lord with Solomon offering sacrifices, and holding a great feast for Israel.  

'Let your heart therefore be wholly true to the Lord our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day.' (vs. 61)

I would think that this was a great spiritual high for King Solomon, right?  I mean, you build a house for God, the king of all kings, to live in, and not only is he pleased, but he comes to dwell there!  Um, awesome.  Plus, God decides to bless Solomon with wisdom, and wealth.  For real ya'll, this guy would have been the most ELIGIBLE bachelor ever!  

And... apparently he thought so too.  

Unfortunately, Solomon took a turn for the worse shortly after and turned away from the Lord due to his love of women and their foreign gods.  And his sin had great consequences for Israel.  In ch. 9, vs.1-9, Solomon was warned what would happen if he stopped following God; Israel would be 'cut off'.  

Think about it.  The future of an entire nation falls on your shoulders and is determined by whether or not you continue to follow God.  It's one thing to worry about your own fate, but that of millions of people is quite a lot to ponder.  You would think that this would be a sobering thought to Solomon, but it wasn't.  I mean just a few verses earlier he was telling the people of Israel to keep their hearts wholly true to God.  How could he have messed up so quickly?  

Spiritual highs are great.  Really, they are.  But usually its the time right after when we really need to be on guard.  If the wisest man in the world can fall as hard as he did, then surely I can.  Ya'll, Solomon didn't receive his wisdom after he built the temple, or even after he screwed up.  He received it before all that stuff happened.  The wisdom was there in his head for the using.  So what happened? Even sin can corrupt the wisest of us all, and when we sin, sometimes the worst of the consequences doesn't land on us but those we love.  After Solomon died there was a long succession of evil kings, and Israel suffered for it.  

'Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.' (Ephesians 5:15-16)  

So guard your hearts and don't think you can survive on a spiritual high and not be touched.  I dare say that Satan loves to get us when we think we are closest to the Lord.  Now that I have a little one to care for, I hate to think that I would commit a sin so great that it would ruin her future, but unfortunately, I could.  

Thanks for sticking with me during this long post.  I wanted to share my quiet time today with you and give you a peek into what God has been teaching me and hope that it encourages you.  

Laura

Two words

'Jesus wept.' Right now I am clinging to those two words. In my life I have heard many sermons on the eleventh chapter of John. Everything from this was one of Jesus' greatest miracles to the theological importance of Jesus' answer to Martha (read the chapter). But I can honestly say to you that right now I could care less about those other 56 verses. All I need are those two words. You see, in those two words I don't see theology, or some random act of emotion. I see a savior who feels the same way I do and is willing to sit on a hospital floor and cry over the possibility of a little girl named Piper Grace Hendricks losing her life. I see a friend who is upset about the fact that a three month old has to struggle to breathe and cry when she is in pain. I have never had to face anything this hard in my life. I am a child of God and would dare say I'm a mature Christian. But with everything I have learned about my heavenly Father, all I need to know in this moment is that He feels what I feel and and loves my little girl more than I ever could. I know this is an obvious statement but until you live it then it is just a cliche. All those commentaries I read and papers I wrote in seminary do not compare to the depth of what I am learning right now sitting next to my daughter's hospital bed. I know that I am called a daughter and friend by the most high God. But more than that I know that when I weep, Jesus weeps with me.

Happy Easter!

I cannot explain properly with words how Easter Sunday makes me feel.  Knowing that my Savior defeated death gives me hope that surpasses all things in this world.

So since my words wont do it justice, just listen to this song and do your best to not sing out loud and jump for joy!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XVKqYT2ecM&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Luke 24: 1-12
HE IS NOT HERE, BUT HAS RISEN!