1 Corinthians 1 Part 2

Tonight I focused on 1 Corinthians 1:10-25 - totally blew my mind, regardless of the fact that I've read several times.

It brings up an interesting point about denominations in my mind. It's not that they're a bad thing, but Paul is saying that divisions within a church body are bad. Instead, we're supposed to come together as an entire body of Christ when it comes to defending the big things (or the one thing) that we all agree on, namely, that Jesus Christ is Lord and the only way to the Father is through Him. The secondary stuff comes into play when you're identifying with denominations, but that's not the point of this passage.

I love the idea of joining together with other believers from different backgrounds of faith and culture to unite in the love of Christ. At the church I worked at this summer, every service was ended by singing a song called "The Bond of Love" that said, "We are one in the bond of love; we are one in the bond of love; we have joined our spirit with the Spirit of God; we are one in the bond of love." I think it embodies this idea that Paul is talking about perfectly. Why quarrel over things that are not doing productive things to further the Gospel and show grace and love and mercy to people in the name of Jesus?

The next section is AWESOME and I love it. It's about the wisdom of men versus the wisdom of God. I just need to write out verse 18 for you - "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." HOW INCREDIBLE IS THAT? We have this power given to us by God because we believe in Jesus' death and resurrection and His ability to save us from ourselves and give us eternal life. But to other people that makes NO SENSE. The next part of this passage, verses 19-25 explain that we truly know nothing compared to the omniscience of God the Father. The only true wisdom we have is given to us by the Holy Spirit, and is inspired by Scripture and gained from a relationship with Jesus. The things the world knows are foolish.

This is mind-blowing to me. It's crazy that in a world where education is valued so highly and intellect is necessary to be successful or to not be looked down upon, that really all those things are foolish when you think of the majesty of God and the depths to which He knows everything, including each of our hearts. Worldly intellect will try to tell us that we don't need a Savior, that this world makes sense without a higher power, i.e. God, and that anything we have the ability to do is because we worked for it and we can make it on our own. That is all false! We need a Savior because we are so wretched and sinful. We need grace every single day, especially when we get prideful about the things we know. If there's one thing I do know, it's that there's no way I can make it on my own. I don't know how other people do it - people who don't know the Hope of Christ and can find joy in salvation. How do people think they can handle it all? On a more general level, how does anyone expect to try and do things without people helping them or supporting them or encouraging them? I HAVE NO IDEA!

Anyway. I was thinking about wisdom while I was taking a shower before I read this, so it's cool that I ran into this tonight. If I ever boast, it will only be in my weaknesses and the power of the cross. Any wisdom you hear from me was given to me by God. In my weakness He is made stronger. Praise be to God!

An Introduction to a Personal Bible Study - 1 Corinthians

I've been extremely flaky in my quiet times.

I figured I should be pretty honest about that from the get-go.

But I've been semi-reading through 1 Corinthians over the last week or so, and I wanted to actually READ it. So basically, critical reading, analytical thinking, practical application based understanding.

I'm just going to start over from the beginning of 1 Corinthians.

I'm also in the middle of Acts and Daniel as parts of series the BCM is currently doing. Acts is what we are studying in family group Bible studies, one of which I lead once a week, and Daniel is what we are hearing about at 6:33 - our large group weekly worship gathering. So I may from time to time throw in snippets from those two books.

Hear me out - if you want to learn alongside me, I am ecstatic. Just know that I do this for myself, so not everything I say is probably going to make sense. Also I don't follow through very well, so who knows how long this is going to last...

That being said, I'm ready to dive into 1 Corinthians chapter 1.

Divisions in the Church Condemned

v. 1-3
In the first few verses, I like that Paul is already putting emphasis on the importance of unity in Christ - that Jesus Christ died for all people, and all who will believe in Him have eternal, and because of that we (believers of that) have a love for Christ in common. 

v. 4-9
This is such a cool mini Gospel in a few short verses. It tells the story of God's grace, the fact that each of our lives are a testament to God's grace and well all have an important story to share; community is essential in growth as a believer, and endurance to keep the faith will glorify God so much.

Tangent: this reminds me of what we talked about studying Acts 17 tonight. How do our lives look different as Christians, in a culture that is so nonchalant about everything? How do our actions show that we are trustworthy and set us apart - make us holy? I think endurance is a huge part of that, and something I struggle with. I get burnt out too easily, because I don't commit to the hard parts of life as well as the initial easy/ glamorous parts. But doing a job well, when asked, without grumbling or complaining, to the best of my ability, will be a way that the world looks at me and sees something different. That's what I'm striving for in order to share the Hope I have in Christ with people. 

I think I'll stop here and pick up later. Until then...

Weird Things Are A-Brewin'

Okay so apparently I haven't posted since June. AWKWARD. I'm sorry. To myself mostly because I'm the only one who cares about what I have to say. So, this post is actually for myself because I want to look back on it and remember.

Reason I say things are weird is because I'm 20, and last night I went to the Ring Premiere to see the unveiling of my COLLEGE class ring. Because I'm a junior. And graduating in 2015 (theoretically). So I feel strange because this article actually applies to me. Which is why I'm sharing. I'm sure anyone of any age will be able to get something out of it, but it is explicitly written for "20-somethings".

So read, and enjoy. :)

"20 things every 20-something should know how to do"

Comparison is the Thief of Joy

I had a thought just a minute ago about people.

We are competitive by nature. It can be good. It can also be very destructive and horrid.

There's a bad habit of comparing people to other people. As if, somehow, one is better than the other.

Don't hear me wrong - I think sometimes healthy competition is good. If you have the right heart about it, it's a way to celebrate one's accomplishments - demonstrating their work, worth, discipline, and dedication - and can also be very humbling causing one to realize that they are indeed not the center of the universe and that every human being on the planet for the entire history of existence MESSES UP AND IS NOT PERFECT. Winning is good. Losing is good. All things (I will say, most things) have the potential to be good if they are done with grace, thanksgiving, a pure heart, a sound mind, love, mercy.

All that to say, I think it's important to be the "best 'you' you can be". What does that mean? I don't really know. I desire to live a life "worthy of the calling with which [I was] called" (Ephesians 4:1). To me that requires striving to look more like Christ, and that requires improving the way I act, think, speak, love to try my best to accomplish these things. If I'm trying my best, I am content. God is always good, perfect, loving, fair, sovereign, abounding in love and grace, and doesn't change. I falter and am weak, inconsistent, flawed, human. God still loves me and requires my all. I want Him to have it.

Even if those around me are not striving toward this same goal, I need to remind myself, and them as well, that if I'm giving my best, and they're giving their best, there isn't a need to compare and compete in that. No one's "best" is "better" in the Kingdom of God. We are all His children and loved equally by Him, because He has the capability to love perfectly and completely, unlike we do. We are in part, He is complete. We can be complete in Him.

That was definitely a rant, but I needed to get that out of my brain. Comparison is the thief of Joy.

Brothers and sisters, be content with RIGHT NOW. Strive to better yourself in the name of Christ for the glory and honor of God, but live with an attitude of thanksgiving, servitude, humility, and peace for where you are in this very moment. And this moment. And this one.

To Him be the eternal glory, Amen!

&

You will be called Blessed

I need not expect; I need only to pray, to trust God, and to live.

God is so good. He is sovereign, and I have to remind myself of that frequently. There are times where my plans and ideas just so happen to fall in line with His ("Take delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." -Psalm 37:4) but I'm reminded again and again that God's name is to be praised in the highest, given all glory and honor, regardless of what I go through or any unfortunate shenanigans that occur.

And oldie but a goodie, the song "Blessed Be Your Name" still speaks to me. Mostly the two verses:

"Blessed be Your name in the land that is plentiful;

where your streams of abundance flow, blessed be Your name.

Blessed be Your name when I'm found in the desert place;

though I walk through the wilderness, blessed be Your name.

Blessed be Your name when the sun's shining down on me;

when the world's all as it should be, blessed be Your name.

Blessed be Your name on the road marked with suffering;

though there's pain in the offering, blessed be Your name."

That everything in this life is a blessing when your faith is in Christ is something I believe. Since He works all things together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28), we can rest assured that by continuing to put our faith in Him and trying to live a life worthy of our calling (Ephesians 4:1) we will be blessed. We will be called the sons and daughters of God. 

He is able to do immeasurably more than we will ever be able to understand or even ask for. That is why I have full confidence that the things that happen in my life will be according to God's plan. I only pray that I live humbly so as to leave a legacy of Christ and not of myself. 

A recent occurrence in my life has shown me that prayer and supplication are effective, and that God is faithful. Something I once desired selfishly, but now desire to the glory of God, was denied to me when I sought it for my own purposes. But when I gave it over to God and trust Him, praying about it fervently, my prayers were answered unexpectedly and where I wasn't expecting. The details aren't important (yet), but I pray that you, friends, can be encouraged that God is working everywhere, in everything, through everyone who believes in Him and even those who don't. The Holy Spirit is mysterious and wonderful. 

I praise God on high for His marvelous works, and for the very nature of His being. His love for me is astounding, and I cannot comprehend His grace. I am humbled by the mercy He has shown by making the ultimate sacrifice of His only son. That is truly beyond my understanding. And I love it. 

'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus. 

&

The Funny Thing About Kids

I just think kids are the neatest. I'm obsessed with kids, and though I know of several who do NOT share my sentiments in the slightest, and if I could spend all day with them I would.

Babysitting has always been one of my favorite things to do, as far as making money. It was my first "real job" at the age of 13, and I never really stopped doing it. There are so many interesting things that go into it, and no kid or family or house is ever the same.

But you knew that.

They're so cool, though. One of my favorite kids is named Emma. She's 7 going on about 25. She's brilliant and I love it. But she's still a kid, ya know? Obviously, she's in elementary school, but she's at an age where she has a VERY defined personality, and it never ceases to blow me away. I've spent so much time with her that I hardly feel like the babysitter any more. I feel more like her sister or something. I even adore her parents.

What has recently struck me, though, is that kids at the age of like 4 or 5 to about 8 or 9 can be pretty skeptical about new people. When they first meet you, they're super shy and awkward because they don't know you and they're trying to do 2 things: they want to see how interactive you get with them, and they want to test you to see how much they can get away with. It's a simple fact of life.

So sometimes they won't talk. And even though they have to get used to you, you have to get used to them. But man once you do, they have some of the funniest things to say, and some of the most interesting insights you'll ever hear. Because they have a very limited filter and have only just begun to develop social skills.

This girl can talk my ear off about "highly intellectual" things (which in all honesty I have no clue about sometimes), and then go straight from that to being incredibly silly and laughing her head off, and then to being sweet as she can be, all the way back to running around being crazy again!

Tonight I got the chance to babysit two kids whose parents I'd never met before, but they were in my Campus Minister's small group, so I figured they'd be nice, and of course they were. Their kids were 3 years old and I think 11 months or so. THEY WERE PRECIOUS. I was with them for a short amount of time, but I got play with trains with the 3-year-old boy who could talk forever if I'd let him. He seemed pretty emotionally stable for a child, although that was probably just the day. And then the little girl - good grief she was all over the place! In the cutest way possible, all she wanted to do was CRAWL and never stop! She was so smiley and kept clapping which was adorable. She did have a tendency to get into everything, though, and when she got in it she would put whatever it was in her mouth. Including my hair. And necklace. And glasses. BUT SHE WAS SO CUTE (and I didn't have to change her diaper, which is always a plus). No tears, no injuries, no tantrums, no dirty diapers - I am a happy babysitter!

One of my favorite things about watching kids is that everything they do is unexpected. You have to be on your toes, and HIGHLY caffeinated (which I was, luckily). It's the one area in my life where I'm not lazy (because I CAN'T be!). Every age of kid is something different, and it's so much fun for me to figure out those different stages of life, meet them there, and roll with it. In the last week I've interacted with crawling babies, semi-talking toddlers, significantly more worded toddlers, elementary school kids, and middle schoolers (not to mention those crazy college kids). It's a blast. I almost feel as though I should rethink my career path... Alas, I do still want to teach middle school math.

I just think kids are hilarious. They require a lot of attention and energy, but we have SO much to learn from them.

&

Reading Between the Lines

I think that title is clever.

Anyway, I've been thinking a lot recently about people. I've always liked to psychoanalyze people (including myself) because I like to be able to know what's going on with them. I like figuring things out - this includes people, naturally. I've always been pretty good at noticing things about people, like when they're hiding something. More specifically when they're hiding their emotions. I'm decent at reading people. It's a fun game for me!

Of course on the other hand, I've been psychoanalyzing myself since I was about 14. A lot goes through my head at once, and since I forget to write things down, I just keep thinking more and more until, well, I've thunk myself in a circle.

With all of this, I was thinking about the beauty of people - God's greatest creation. Don't believe me? Read up on Genesis for yourself, and then try and tell me that God didn't value His creation of us over all the other things! He did save the best for last, because we were the ones made in His image - made for an intimate relationship with Him. People are beautiful.

I came across an article and video from Dove about beauty today. And how we're really hard on ourselves, whereas others tend to see the best in us when it's solely based on our appearance. Perception plays a huge part in what we define as beauty.

Here's the thing: yeah I've had moments of self-consciousness, but I've never truly struggled with having a negative body image. Like most girls, I do have my days, but in the end I never let those very temporary feelings of physical inadequacy drive my decisions or actions.

I love knowing that everything beautiful has the potential to reflect God's beauty. This, again, depends on perception I think. I can look at a really pretty landscape painting, and marvel at how beautifully it captures the vastness and mystery of God's creation, whereas another viewer may simply look at it with no regard to our Creator. From my point of view, everything beautiful brings God glory. Every human IS beautiful, and has the potential to bring God glory. Which is so, so cool!

Anyway, I was looking at someone's face on Facebook today (I know, weird right?!) and it was someone I didn't know - a friend-of-a-friend. She made a comment to another friend of mine who has her 40th birthday this week (or what I like to call her second 20th birthday). She said, "I would love to be 40 again... You should stretch it out! It's a GOOD decade!" Which I thought was interesting. Then I went to her page to see what she looked like (because I'm easily side-tracked). I would assume she's in her late 50's/60's. And I was looking at this picture of her, and I mean yeah certain facial and other physical features tend to give away our ages, but I saw another picture of her...

In this picture, I looked at it and had a pretty easy time telling her age (ish). But what really struck me were her eyes. They honestly looked as though they hadn't aged since she was 18. I covered up the rest of her face with my hand on the screen, and what I saw were beautiful eyes that looked as energetic and alive as I'm sure they've ever been - as if by looking into her very being, she were still young at heart.

This sounds pretty cliche, but I think it's cool. We can really be so critical, especially when we use our stage of life as an excuse as to why we look a certain way. But if we learn how to read between the lines - the wrinkles, the dark circles, the gray, the weight - I think that's when we can accept that our true beauty does in fact come from within, and when we embrace that and let it, it shines through to our outsides as well.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm fascinated with all stages of life. They're all beautiful! So stop coming up with excuses as to why you don't measure up, and quit comparing yourself to others who just happen to have different insecurities than you! You are fearfully and wonderfully made, from the inside out, by an Almighty God who loves you more than you will EVER be able to grasp or know.

"So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 

Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.” 

Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened. 

Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day."

Genesis 1:27-31