"Amy Carmichael's great longing was to have a "single eye" for the glory of God. Whatever might blur the vision God had give her of His work, whatever could distract or deceive or tempt other to seek anything but the Lord Jesus Himself she tried to eliminate."
-Said of Amy Carmichael by Elisabeth Elliot
Monday, July 30, 2012
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Consistency
I have tried so many ways of having a devotional. I've never really cared how or when I do it (although I must admit I prefer early mornings in my room); my main concern has always been consistency. I'm usually pretty good at keeping up methods of having a devotional, but not-skipping-a-day consistency has always been a little problem....
I've tried reading a Psalm & Proverb & a chapter of New Testament or the Old...I've tried the whole "it's July 26, thus we read everything 26" idea....I've tried reading big chunks to get the whole story, or little pieces to focus on a small teaching... I've tried the reading through the Bible in a year. Everything taught me and encouraged me, but nothing really kept me consistent.
One day, after I'd been writing consistently (I've been writing since I was about 15), I decided it'd be a good idea to write a bit everyday on what I had read & learned. I found it to be a great technique and something I looked forward to. Soon after, while browsing Instagram, I noticed Jarrid Wilson writes Day 1, Day 2, etc. on the corner of each new day's page. I decided to start doing that. It's been such a good way for me to remain consistent. If I skip a day I go back to Day 1, thus it keeps me motivated. I rarely go back to Day 1 because I'm motivated to not lose the streak. I'm currently on Day 92 and have a journal full of the wonderful things God's taught and continues to teach me. I really love this technique because I combine two things I love and it's made me really consistent in every day devotions.
I also love that I end up with a notebooks full of writings that prove the way God has worked in my life and what He's taught me. It's such a great feeling to know that I can just look back through old notebooks and know I can find everything God has taught me in the past. I can see God's faithfulness just by looking back to those days when I first began doing this. It really has been such a great experience for me! :)
I've tried reading a Psalm & Proverb & a chapter of New Testament or the Old...I've tried the whole "it's July 26, thus we read everything 26" idea....I've tried reading big chunks to get the whole story, or little pieces to focus on a small teaching... I've tried the reading through the Bible in a year. Everything taught me and encouraged me, but nothing really kept me consistent.
One day, after I'd been writing consistently (I've been writing since I was about 15), I decided it'd be a good idea to write a bit everyday on what I had read & learned. I found it to be a great technique and something I looked forward to. Soon after, while browsing Instagram, I noticed Jarrid Wilson writes Day 1, Day 2, etc. on the corner of each new day's page. I decided to start doing that. It's been such a good way for me to remain consistent. If I skip a day I go back to Day 1, thus it keeps me motivated. I rarely go back to Day 1 because I'm motivated to not lose the streak. I'm currently on Day 92 and have a journal full of the wonderful things God's taught and continues to teach me. I really love this technique because I combine two things I love and it's made me really consistent in every day devotions.
I also love that I end up with a notebooks full of writings that prove the way God has worked in my life and what He's taught me. It's such a great feeling to know that I can just look back through old notebooks and know I can find everything God has taught me in the past. I can see God's faithfulness just by looking back to those days when I first began doing this. It really has been such a great experience for me! :)
Sunday, July 22, 2012
A Glimpse of Selfless Beauty ~ Sarah Edwards
"They say there is a young lady in New Haven who is beloved of that Great Being who made and rules the world. They say that He fills her mind with exceeding sweet delight, and that she hardly cares for anything except to meditate on Him. If you present all the world to her, with the richest of its treasures, she disregards it. She is unmindful of any pain or affliction. She has a singular purity in her affections. You could not persuade her to compromise her true Love even if you would give her all the world. She possesses a wonderful sweetness, calmness, and kindness to those around her. She will sometimes go about from place to place, singing sweetly. She seems to be always full of joy and pleasure, and no one knows exactly why. She loves to be alone, walking in the fields and groves, and seems to have Someone invisible always conversing with her."
~Written of Sarah Edwards by Jonathan Edwards, her future husband
~Written of Sarah Edwards by Jonathan Edwards, her future husband
A Brilliant Distraction
I posted this over at The Rock 1:7 and wanted to share it here... :)
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I was listening to a message by Eric Ludy a few days ago where he explained what distractions are. He gave two definitions for them. One is a regular distraction and the other is a brilliant distraction. Here are his definitions:
"What is a brilliant distraction? Anything that turns the eyes of the soul away from Jesus and Him crucified; the whole while convincing them that Jesus and Him crucified is their entire focus."
Distractions come in so many ways! Internet, video games, facebook, relationships...they can all have unhealthy ties in our lives if we don't know they can be distractions. There are some distractions that we know turn the eyes of our soul away from Jesus and Him crucified. There are other "smaller" distractions that fool us, though. Those are the ones we have to look out for, because even if we think they're smaller, they can turn out to be the biggest.
We may think that texting someone constantly isn't a distraction at all; especially if we're leading each other closer to Christ within our conversations! It seems unharmful in itself and certainly makes us believe that we're doing something godly. However, if we're constantly doing something (whether it be one of the things I mentioned above or anything else), that takes an extended amount of time away from Jesus or other more important things in our life like church and family, it's a brilliant distraction. It makes us believe that we're focused on Christ, but in truth, we're being distracted.
"All the ways of a man are pure in His own eyes, but the Lord weighs the Spirit." Proverbs 16:2
There may be a certain distraction in your life that you may think is okay. I want to encourage you to seek the Lord and find out what distractions have an unhealthy hold on your life. Ask the Lord to reveal the brilliant distractions in your life; those that are hidden in your heart. Find the ones that aren't leading you closer to Him and surrender it to the Lord. Ask Him to replace the need for that distraction with a need for Him. God will faithfully show you if you honestly seek His will.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was listening to a message by Eric Ludy a few days ago where he explained what distractions are. He gave two definitions for them. One is a regular distraction and the other is a brilliant distraction. Here are his definitions:
"What is a distraction? Anything that turns the eyes of the soul away from Jesus and Him crucified."
Distractions come in so many ways! Internet, video games, facebook, relationships...they can all have unhealthy ties in our lives if we don't know they can be distractions. There are some distractions that we know turn the eyes of our soul away from Jesus and Him crucified. There are other "smaller" distractions that fool us, though. Those are the ones we have to look out for, because even if we think they're smaller, they can turn out to be the biggest.
We may think that texting someone constantly isn't a distraction at all; especially if we're leading each other closer to Christ within our conversations! It seems unharmful in itself and certainly makes us believe that we're doing something godly. However, if we're constantly doing something (whether it be one of the things I mentioned above or anything else), that takes an extended amount of time away from Jesus or other more important things in our life like church and family, it's a brilliant distraction. It makes us believe that we're focused on Christ, but in truth, we're being distracted.
"All the ways of a man are pure in His own eyes, but the Lord weighs the Spirit." Proverbs 16:2
There may be a certain distraction in your life that you may think is okay. I want to encourage you to seek the Lord and find out what distractions have an unhealthy hold on your life. Ask the Lord to reveal the brilliant distractions in your life; those that are hidden in your heart. Find the ones that aren't leading you closer to Him and surrender it to the Lord. Ask Him to replace the need for that distraction with a need for Him. God will faithfully show you if you honestly seek His will.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Radiantly Growing....
I grew up in a Christian home and came to know the Lord at a young age. Until I was about 12 years old, I never did much more than read my Bible for 5 minutes and pray before bed. Through Martha Finley's Elsie Dinsmore books, the Lord pursued and conquered my heart. I knew He'd been wanting me to live passionately for Him, I just never showed the interest. Finally, I decided to give the Lord more of me. I grew immensely in the Lord during the next two years.
When I was 14 years old, I went on a mission trip with my father and my relationship with the Lord grew so much more! I'd been on mission trips before, but had never experienced the joys of leading people to Christ until then. The Lord showed me the importance of being faithful in leading others to the Lord and serving those in need. That experience really humbled me as I'd never been through anything like it.
I returned home with a burning passion to know the Lord more and a desire to connect with others my age; people with the same desires I had to live completely surrendered to Jesus. I didn't want my youth to be wasted foolishly, but instead for it to count for much more than the average teen's. The Lord somehow led me to the ministry of Alex & Brett Harris, TheRebelution.com. I knew that was just what I needed. I found the encouragement I needed from the forum there to keep pressing on toward the goal (Phil. 3:14) and defying the low expectations that are thrusted on young people in this generation.
The Lord continued to grow me.....
At around 16, I began reading books and resources by Leslie Ludy. setapartGirl Magazine, Authentic Beauty, Set-Apart Femininity, The Lost Art of True Beauty.... They all reached out and stirred my heart. I knew I wanted to live a set-apart life. Deep down, I knew I wanted to be a feminine young lady whose joy and fulfillment was found fully in the Lord. I felt God ask me to let go of all my dreams and desires and turn them over to Him. I knew I had to give God every area of my life...personal life, relationships, ministries, schooling.... I had to leave it all in His hands and let Him make the decisions for my life. It was a hard decision, but I knew the Lord was preparing me from years ago for this decision. I could see now how the Lord allowed those books at 12, the mission trip at 14, and the newfound Rebelution ministry to all come into my life at precise moments when I was ready to take in its content and understand what the Lord expected of me. I decided to just let it go. I didn't have much, but I gave the Lord everything I had. Jim Elliot once said:
I knew what God's will was, thus I wanted this exemplified in my life.
Since then, it's been the most fulfilling and exciting years of my life. The Lord has taught me so much on living a set-apart life. I am no longer in control of any area of my life. I no longer worry about trying to control my own life. God has allowed me to participate in ministry at church teaching girls in Sunday School whenever there's a need. He's given me the opportunity to have a home group for young girls on Friday nights where I have been able to share with those girls what the Lord did in my life at their age and how they can give their life fully to the Lord and live radiantly for Him. I've since graduated high school, begun college, continued on the Rebelution forums and have been granted the position of a moderator for the girl's section of it...I have younger sisters that I can be an influence to, parents who've modeled the set-apart life for me, and a wonderful church that's made a major impact on my relationship with the Lord. I have so many reasons to be thankful and to know that God is pleased with the set-apart life. God is blessing me and I simply want to strive to continue to humbly get to know Him and lead others to Him.
No one said the set-apart life was easy. To be quite honest, it's not. You're at risk of being made fun of, ridiculed, laughed at, and talked about. It may hurt, but can I just tell you it's all worth it? To know at the end of it all that the Lord is pleased with us and that His will was fulfilled in our lives is all worth it. Nothing matters more on this earth than what the Lord thinks of us. Giving ourselves fully to the work of the Lord is what we were made for! There is nothing in us that makes us worthy of God. It is only Christ in us that gives us worth. Consider this quote:
Sophie
When I was 14 years old, I went on a mission trip with my father and my relationship with the Lord grew so much more! I'd been on mission trips before, but had never experienced the joys of leading people to Christ until then. The Lord showed me the importance of being faithful in leading others to the Lord and serving those in need. That experience really humbled me as I'd never been through anything like it.
I returned home with a burning passion to know the Lord more and a desire to connect with others my age; people with the same desires I had to live completely surrendered to Jesus. I didn't want my youth to be wasted foolishly, but instead for it to count for much more than the average teen's. The Lord somehow led me to the ministry of Alex & Brett Harris, TheRebelution.com. I knew that was just what I needed. I found the encouragement I needed from the forum there to keep pressing on toward the goal (Phil. 3:14) and defying the low expectations that are thrusted on young people in this generation.
The Lord continued to grow me.....
At around 16, I began reading books and resources by Leslie Ludy. setapartGirl Magazine, Authentic Beauty, Set-Apart Femininity, The Lost Art of True Beauty.... They all reached out and stirred my heart. I knew I wanted to live a set-apart life. Deep down, I knew I wanted to be a feminine young lady whose joy and fulfillment was found fully in the Lord. I felt God ask me to let go of all my dreams and desires and turn them over to Him. I knew I had to give God every area of my life...personal life, relationships, ministries, schooling.... I had to leave it all in His hands and let Him make the decisions for my life. It was a hard decision, but I knew the Lord was preparing me from years ago for this decision. I could see now how the Lord allowed those books at 12, the mission trip at 14, and the newfound Rebelution ministry to all come into my life at precise moments when I was ready to take in its content and understand what the Lord expected of me. I decided to just let it go. I didn't have much, but I gave the Lord everything I had. Jim Elliot once said:
Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.
I knew what God's will was, thus I wanted this exemplified in my life.
Since then, it's been the most fulfilling and exciting years of my life. The Lord has taught me so much on living a set-apart life. I am no longer in control of any area of my life. I no longer worry about trying to control my own life. God has allowed me to participate in ministry at church teaching girls in Sunday School whenever there's a need. He's given me the opportunity to have a home group for young girls on Friday nights where I have been able to share with those girls what the Lord did in my life at their age and how they can give their life fully to the Lord and live radiantly for Him. I've since graduated high school, begun college, continued on the Rebelution forums and have been granted the position of a moderator for the girl's section of it...I have younger sisters that I can be an influence to, parents who've modeled the set-apart life for me, and a wonderful church that's made a major impact on my relationship with the Lord. I have so many reasons to be thankful and to know that God is pleased with the set-apart life. God is blessing me and I simply want to strive to continue to humbly get to know Him and lead others to Him.
No one said the set-apart life was easy. To be quite honest, it's not. You're at risk of being made fun of, ridiculed, laughed at, and talked about. It may hurt, but can I just tell you it's all worth it? To know at the end of it all that the Lord is pleased with us and that His will was fulfilled in our lives is all worth it. Nothing matters more on this earth than what the Lord thinks of us. Giving ourselves fully to the work of the Lord is what we were made for! There is nothing in us that makes us worthy of God. It is only Christ in us that gives us worth. Consider this quote:
"If any soul has any beauty, it is because Christ has endowed that soul with His own, for in ourselves we are deformed and defiled! There is no beauty in any of us but what our Lord has worked in us." -Charles SpurgeonIt's only when the Lord has worked in our life that we are truly beautiful. Jesus Christ gives us all we need. Pursue Him and give Him the best years of your life. Live Radiantly Set-Apart for your King...
"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen." 2 Peter 3:18Joyfully in Him,
Sophie
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