So, I am still fairly new at, and still getting steady in, my walk with God. I grew up in a Catholic home, but never felt really connected with the church. I went through the motions and it never meant anything to me. I can't explain why that was the case with me because religion was important to my parents, but it just never meant much (sad, isn't it?).
How do other people go day to day? I have read so much about modesty, Christian living,.... you name it, I read it. There are so many wonderful people out there who lead such great lives. How are people so sure of themselves and their faith? Big topic, I know..... :) Help!
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Newness
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. (Romans 6:4)
After the death of my aunt, I began to feel a bit off and had trouble getting over it. It's during times like this, I should know enough to turn to the Bible and His word to help me, but of course I don't think of that. It was during a recent conversation with a friend, she was so accurate that I'm missing the wonder in the world. That often seems to be the case when something goes wrong - we turn our backs on God and think we should just handle it on our own. Of course, God has his way of working and I somehow walked back in the right direction. It feels nice to be back 'home' and know what love is.
I am glad to be back posting and will try to not delay so long!
After the death of my aunt, I began to feel a bit off and had trouble getting over it. It's during times like this, I should know enough to turn to the Bible and His word to help me, but of course I don't think of that. It was during a recent conversation with a friend, she was so accurate that I'm missing the wonder in the world. That often seems to be the case when something goes wrong - we turn our backs on God and think we should just handle it on our own. Of course, God has his way of working and I somehow walked back in the right direction. It feels nice to be back 'home' and know what love is.
I am glad to be back posting and will try to not delay so long!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Commitment to family
And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me. (Ruth 1:16 - 17)
Ruth has always made me feel so comforted. I look at her and see such a commitment to family, a lover and respect for others. Ruth provides a way for her mother-in-law to survive, to what could have been her detriment (not returning to her family, not remarrying, etc). What lessons can we learn from such an unselfish person? What can we take away from such a complete act of love, charity, and caring for others? Where do I even begin answering that question?!?!?! :)
The more I follow God and the more I look to Him for guidance in my day to day life, the more I see how this type of commitment is necessary in everything I do. I need to be able to commit myself to everything I can do with heart, mind, and body, so that I can feel comfortable in being able to turn over it over to glorify God. If I look at how Ruth carries herself, shows love for her mother-in-law, respect for the owner of the field, I can get a great example of how to live. Any thoughts?
Ruth has always made me feel so comforted. I look at her and see such a commitment to family, a lover and respect for others. Ruth provides a way for her mother-in-law to survive, to what could have been her detriment (not returning to her family, not remarrying, etc). What lessons can we learn from such an unselfish person? What can we take away from such a complete act of love, charity, and caring for others? Where do I even begin answering that question?!?!?! :)
The more I follow God and the more I look to Him for guidance in my day to day life, the more I see how this type of commitment is necessary in everything I do. I need to be able to commit myself to everything I can do with heart, mind, and body, so that I can feel comfortable in being able to turn over it over to glorify God. If I look at how Ruth carries herself, shows love for her mother-in-law, respect for the owner of the field, I can get a great example of how to live. Any thoughts?
Thursday, June 26, 2008
A calling
How do we know what we are meant to do? Ok, tough question, or maybe not written well, but how do we know where God wants us to go and what to do? I realize that someone's going to answer that when we are quiet enough, we will hear what God wants. I know that's true, but sometimes I have trouble making the step to understand if that's my mind imposing something that I think is a calling. How do other people discern what's a real calling versus their mind just "playing" with them?
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Anxiety
Cast all your anxiety on him [God] because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)
This one is too appropriate for me today. It's been one of the longer days for me - feeling worry and stress over things that are too small. Trying to remember that God cares isn't always easy to do. After all, why should He take time to look at my problems? Stress over a situation at work, a late subway, a messy apartment, an unexpected bill, or car breakdown. These are not huge deals. Think of all the other things in the world - war, famine, floods. Those are SO much more important to Him. But the truth is, those things aren't. He loves us all and wants to protect us all evenly. We have to pray, love Him, care for Him, turn our lives over, turn everything over. That's not saying that God will make everything turn out the way we want or the easy way, but He will be there to love, protect, and care for us in our darkest day and happiest moment. Just remember to praise Him for all he does, not just when things are good. Easier said than done.....
This one is too appropriate for me today. It's been one of the longer days for me - feeling worry and stress over things that are too small. Trying to remember that God cares isn't always easy to do. After all, why should He take time to look at my problems? Stress over a situation at work, a late subway, a messy apartment, an unexpected bill, or car breakdown. These are not huge deals. Think of all the other things in the world - war, famine, floods. Those are SO much more important to Him. But the truth is, those things aren't. He loves us all and wants to protect us all evenly. We have to pray, love Him, care for Him, turn our lives over, turn everything over. That's not saying that God will make everything turn out the way we want or the easy way, but He will be there to love, protect, and care for us in our darkest day and happiest moment. Just remember to praise Him for all he does, not just when things are good. Easier said than done.....
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Love again?
Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. (Psalms 67:3-4)
It's amazing how we are loved! He created us in His image, an honor enough as is, but to love us after we turn around and no longer follow His way. What have we done to earn this? It's amazing how He continues to love us through it all. We can learn so much by how he treats us. :)
It's amazing how we are loved! He created us in His image, an honor enough as is, but to love us after we turn around and no longer follow His way. What have we done to earn this? It's amazing how He continues to love us through it all. We can learn so much by how he treats us. :)
Monday, April 28, 2008
His Love is True!!!!
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. (Psalm 28:7)
Joy to Him! Isn't that the truth? Has there ever been a time that he hasn't been faithful and wonderful to us? Think of all He has done - saving all of us who are unworthy because He truly loves and cares for us. And we have done nothing for that - nothing that could ever earn that love, caring, or depth of emotion. There is nothing that we could ever do to get that in our lives.
There is such love and emotion coming from him that there is little else I can do but love him back. I don't know about anyone else, but it's been such a fantactic drive to be able to grow with the Bible and the words that we have to live by. I am trying to get my hands on any and all readings that can show me more of His love and how we can bring others to the way. Please share what you know and what helps you!!!
Joy to Him! Isn't that the truth? Has there ever been a time that he hasn't been faithful and wonderful to us? Think of all He has done - saving all of us who are unworthy because He truly loves and cares for us. And we have done nothing for that - nothing that could ever earn that love, caring, or depth of emotion. There is nothing that we could ever do to get that in our lives.
There is such love and emotion coming from him that there is little else I can do but love him back. I don't know about anyone else, but it's been such a fantactic drive to be able to grow with the Bible and the words that we have to live by. I am trying to get my hands on any and all readings that can show me more of His love and how we can bring others to the way. Please share what you know and what helps you!!!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Faith
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17)
Growing up, faith didn't come easy for me. There was a lot going on in my life that made me question if God existed. I'm not saying that I had the hardest life there was, but it wasn't idealic. There's some things I don't feel comfortable sharing out here in cyberspace yet, but some things I can talk about. I remember moving to NJ in fourth grade, a wealthier town with a good school disctrict. My family was comfortable, but my parents worked hugely long hours to make ends meet and we were expected to start working with odd jobs as kids and then with our working papers to help out with expenses we needed to cover. We were very different from the most every other kid in town. My sister was in college when we moved there, and my three older brothers all adjusted well. I didn't. I remember moving during 4th grade, right at the end, which is a rough time for girls and cliqeness. The other girls, most of them, made my life a living hell. I got picked on and teased on a daily basis and would frequently go home in tears. It was the most miserable experience and this went on straight through about 9th grade, when the kids just more left me alone. That was such a relief! At that point, I more came in to my own and fell in to a group of close friends, who I am still close friends with to this day (and who I wouldn't give up for the world).
Now how does this relate to faith, especially since I lost most of mine through all this (and some other personal things going on)? It has everything to do with it. There wasn't a day that I wouldn't wake up with some amount of faith that things wouldn't get better, although it did take years. Now when I am around kids (as my job has me doing), I find that I have things in better retrospect. I also see that I am able to have a greater understanding for the fact that God will always give us the strength to get through things, to find to something better, to be able to grow and understand what real love means. He always has faith in us that we can make it through, that we can succeed. We need to have more faith in Him, that he will walk us through, and that we can suceed in whatever we are handed. We are only given us much as we can handle and tests like this show that. Have faith and all will be well!
Growing up, faith didn't come easy for me. There was a lot going on in my life that made me question if God existed. I'm not saying that I had the hardest life there was, but it wasn't idealic. There's some things I don't feel comfortable sharing out here in cyberspace yet, but some things I can talk about. I remember moving to NJ in fourth grade, a wealthier town with a good school disctrict. My family was comfortable, but my parents worked hugely long hours to make ends meet and we were expected to start working with odd jobs as kids and then with our working papers to help out with expenses we needed to cover. We were very different from the most every other kid in town. My sister was in college when we moved there, and my three older brothers all adjusted well. I didn't. I remember moving during 4th grade, right at the end, which is a rough time for girls and cliqeness. The other girls, most of them, made my life a living hell. I got picked on and teased on a daily basis and would frequently go home in tears. It was the most miserable experience and this went on straight through about 9th grade, when the kids just more left me alone. That was such a relief! At that point, I more came in to my own and fell in to a group of close friends, who I am still close friends with to this day (and who I wouldn't give up for the world).
Now how does this relate to faith, especially since I lost most of mine through all this (and some other personal things going on)? It has everything to do with it. There wasn't a day that I wouldn't wake up with some amount of faith that things wouldn't get better, although it did take years. Now when I am around kids (as my job has me doing), I find that I have things in better retrospect. I also see that I am able to have a greater understanding for the fact that God will always give us the strength to get through things, to find to something better, to be able to grow and understand what real love means. He always has faith in us that we can make it through, that we can succeed. We need to have more faith in Him, that he will walk us through, and that we can suceed in whatever we are handed. We are only given us much as we can handle and tests like this show that. Have faith and all will be well!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Christ and the body
From him [Christ] the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (Ephesians 4:16)
Think about the way your body works. Your brain works everything, your heart pumps the blood, your lungs distribute oxygen to your body. How does it all work? I've taken enough biology, and anatomy and physiology, to have the science of it down. You can look at chemical reactions, chain reactions from neurons, and the like to answer that question. Why though?
Think about what God did in making us the way we are. We can think so clearly and are so expressive, we are such rational people. Rational may not always be the best thing, but it does allow us to really think of the value of the gift that He has given us. He loves us so much that He made it possible for us to think, talk, and share, that he allowed us to have a wonderful way to share. We can think, bring His ideas together and be able to talk about all that He has to teach.
You can also think about this in the bigger sense of the church body. The congregation of a church have a responsibility to teach, bring people in, share His ideas. We have the commitment to teach and learn together as adults, as well as a great responsibility to bring children up in a loving church body and family. We also have a responsibility to bring people in to this church body, so that they are able to learn the truth, learn about the word. What's the thought about that?
Think about the way your body works. Your brain works everything, your heart pumps the blood, your lungs distribute oxygen to your body. How does it all work? I've taken enough biology, and anatomy and physiology, to have the science of it down. You can look at chemical reactions, chain reactions from neurons, and the like to answer that question. Why though?
Think about what God did in making us the way we are. We can think so clearly and are so expressive, we are such rational people. Rational may not always be the best thing, but it does allow us to really think of the value of the gift that He has given us. He loves us so much that He made it possible for us to think, talk, and share, that he allowed us to have a wonderful way to share. We can think, bring His ideas together and be able to talk about all that He has to teach.
You can also think about this in the bigger sense of the church body. The congregation of a church have a responsibility to teach, bring people in, share His ideas. We have the commitment to teach and learn together as adults, as well as a great responsibility to bring children up in a loving church body and family. We also have a responsibility to bring people in to this church body, so that they are able to learn the truth, learn about the word. What's the thought about that?
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
question
I feel that over the course of the last few years, my faith has grown and become stronger, but still feel like I am no where near where God longs for me to be or where I want to be. I know God loves me, and I don't deserve it. I see so many good examples of faith and love around me, and would love to be able to live that example. I would love to hear how others stay on their walk of faith and maybe find more people to take that walk with!! In all His blessings and Glory, have a good evening!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)