Romans 12:2, By Christina V.

Romans 12:2

By Christina V.

            Romans 12 is one of my favorite chapters of the entire Bible. There are several verses in that chapter that are very thought-provoking such as verse 2. "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God (NKJV)." God does not want us to be a part of this world and the things the world participates in. He wants us to "fix our attention on [Him]" (Romans 12:2 in The Message paraphrase). We always need to put God first.
            This falls in line with the Ten Commandments when it says that God is a jealous. Jealousy is considered a sin and typically looked at in a bad way but when the Bible refers to God as being jealous it is a reminder that He is absolutely important. No other gods are to come before Him. During the time the Ten Commandments were written, people worshipped golden idols along with other gods. It is still practiced today but hardly prevalent in the United States. However, things around us can be considered idols. Our cell phone, boyfriend, iPad, celebrities we like--anything that takes place in your life before God that you spend a bunch of time with. These things aren't necessarily bad but they can be when they "control" your time.
            The Message paraphrase also says in verse 2 that "You'll be changed from the inside out." It is like that familiar old saying: "garbage in, garbage out." The things you do, watch on TV, listen to, people you hang out with--all have an influence on you and how you'll act. If we're cramming ourselves with worldly junk, then we're going to act like we're a part of the world. But if we spend quality time with God and hang out with Christians and be careful about what TV shows we watch and music we list to, an attitude that reflects God will come out. This is what God wants from us. And when we act like a Christian, others around us will see this and our example alone could possibly bring someone to the Lord. Always remember that no matter where you go, others will be watching. Let Matthew 5:16 remind you to "let your light shine before others (TNIV)."

Who I Am, By Marvina Stedge

Who I Am
By Marvina Stedge

So I know I haven’t written a lot lately.  But I wanted to just write and tell you all what’s been on my heart.  So I’ve been struggling with being myself, finding out who I am, and dealing with life issues like marriage, and finding myself in God’s eyes.  I’ve always known about God and I’ve always been into music, especially worship and contemporary Christian music.  Worshipping the Lord is where I feel the most connected to Him.  I do read my Bible but I feel way more connected when I am worshipping Him and praising His name.  Dealing with finding out who you are, not only in yourself, but also in God’s eyes, can be a very big deal.  For about 3 days, I have been listening to this song called "You Steady My Heart." This song is by Kari Jobe, whom I look up to. She is just so humble, so real, and so into the Lord - and she knows who she is.  But what I really love about this song is the chorus: 

Even when it hurts,
Even when it's hard,
Even when it all just falls apart,
I will run to You,
Cause I know that You are,
Lover of my soul,
Healer of my scars,
You steady my heart. 

These words are so real and so true, and remind me of a verse that has been on my heart, Psalms 55:22, which says: “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” I’ve been reading this verse for a few days and have realized that I can give all my burdens to Him because He really does care what’s on my heart.  I have also realized that I need to start letting Him take complete control over my mind, my soul, my heart and life - so that I can fully be happy with myself, and I can know and learn who I am in Him. So when you are feeling down and you are just going through some struggles in your life, whether it’s within yourself or just your life, turn to the Lord because He cares and wants to be there for you.  I’m not only praying for myself, but also I am praying for anyone who is struggling.  Let the Lord steady your heart and completely fill you with His grace.

References:

*http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/k/kari_jobe/steady_my_heart.html, *http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%2055:22&version=NIV

God Is Great, By Christina V.

God Is Great

By Christina V.
 

 "Our God is greater
Our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is healer
Awesome in power
Our God, our God."

These are the lyrics to one of my favorite worship songs right now. That, along with some other things, really made me start thinking about how powerful and mighty God really is. I think sometimes we get so caught up in this crazy world around us that sometimes we just forget. There's so much technology and so many people in high positions, such as the President, that the world seems so huge to us. And yes, compared to us as mere human beings, the world is really huge. But God is so much bigger! His love for us is amazing.

First of all, He sent His one and only Son to die on the cross to save us all from sin. I'll use an example a pastor I heard recently said. It's one thing to take the blame of every single sin you've ever committed. But imagine taking the blame for not only your own sins but the sins of your friends and family. The sins of everyone at your church and school. The sins of everyone in your town. The sins of everyone in your state. And so forth and so on until you've taken on every single sin committed by
every single person in the entire world! That's crazy huge when you think about it. Jesus did that for us. I've been a Christian since I was really young so I've heard over and over again about Jesus dying for us but to hear it that way really made me think about how incredible it is. And then, He rose again three days later! Our Lord is alive today and tomorrow and forever!  "Jesus is the only One who can save people. No one else in the world is able to save us." Acts 4:12 NCV.

God's greatness can be seen everywhere. He created this world that surrounds us. I recently was up north where some of my family lives and my dad took me and my husband to this place on the side of the road. It was secluded by some trees but as we walked up this steep hill and down a path a little ways, we came to this gorgeous waterfall that was really big at the top but as it descended down, it became smaller and smaller and turned into a brook. It was so cool because it was in the middle of nowhere and most people don't even know it was there. Even though it wasn't as impressive as the Grand Canyon or some other "wonder of the world", it was still something beautiful God created. God's glory can be displayed in the big and small things.

God cares about us so much. "Look at the birds in the air. They don't plant or harvest or store foods in barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. And you know that you are worth much more than the birds." Matthew 6:26 NCV. If God can take care of birds we don't have to worry about Him taking care of us. "The Lord your God is with you; the mighty One will save you. He will rejoice over you. You will rest in His love; He will sing and be joyful about you." Zephaniah 3:17 NCV. The part about Him "rejoicing over you" is really cool to me because it makes me feel special. Granted, I know He's referring to anyone but when I read it, that part seems very personal. God loves everyone but He also personally loves me. I can come to Him anytime for anything and He will always be there no matter what. His love for us will never run out!

Worship Him, By Makaeyla Z.

Worship Him

By Makaeyla Z.

When Jesus was born, all kinds of people came to see Him, and He was brought to the temple where two people recognized Him as the Savior. And they all worshiped. There were the shepherds, the wise men, a widow, and a man.

Shepherds were kind of the equivalent to a garbage man or janitor, and they were usually teenagers. The kings or, you know the three wise men, were at the top of the food chain (for a lack of better words) and they were typically older men.

Then we have the widow who was only married for seven years before her husband died (keep in mind at this time women got married between the ages of 13 and 15, up to 30 years old). She was eighty-four years old; she had been alone a long time. But she chose to serve the Lord - she was identified in the Bible as a prophetess, who spent all of her time at the temple, where she praised God.

And finally there was the man Simeon. The Holy Spirit told him that he wouldn't die until he saw Jesus. He was waiting, like so many people, for God to come and save His people, the Jews.

So what I'm trying to say is, you need to worship if your a youth (shepherds), an adult (the widow), a man (Simeon), a women (widow), rich (Wise men), poor (shepherds), single (widow), or not single (Simeon was probably married). Give glory to God, and worship!

Boredom, By Beatrix C.

Boredom

By Beatrix C.

Raise your hand if summer has actually been boring. (You can do it in your head if you want.) Raise your hand if you miss school. And finally, raise your hand if you wish school was all year round with breaks in between.

I have raised my hand for all 3 of them. I am truly bored. I miss school. school gave me something to do. At home its like: ...........cricket, cricket.........cricket, cricket...... I mean occasionally, we go to Hawaiian Falls. (We are today.) But when I get home: ...........cricket, cricket.........cricket, cricket...... I think you get the picture. There is absolutely nothing to do. So I thought, anyways. There is always talking to God. Reading the Bible. Singing praising songs to Him. And lately I've been doing a few of those things. It works. I'm not bored.

I mean how can you be bored when you're in God's presence? There are still chores to do (which I dread most of the time). Some of the chores are actually fun to do. Like washing the car, cleaning up my room. (The reason why cleaning up my room isn't boring is because I find lots of stuff I've "lost" in the past, :P)

Anyways, if you're ever bored, just go talk to God. Sing to Him, pray to Him. Or when you're actually doing fun stuff, invite Him to be with you. You know, like in your head or just plain out loud say: God, why don't you join me? Sure He's already there. He's everywhere. But to invite Him. To let Him know you want Him to be there, when you're doing something that doesn't really focus on God, well I guess it would make Him smile. To know that you want to be with Him. :)

:P Chow!

Admiring God's Creation, By Allison A.

Admiring God's Creation

By Allison A.

Hey girls! The way I thought of my devotional today was by looking at my calendar. On it is a picture of a beautiful ocean sunset. This is God's creation! I remember hearing once that God could have made the world ugly. There could have been no flowers, no​ waterfalls, no​ clouds, etc. But He didn't do that! Some people really connect to God through His creation, which is a reason why He gave us a beautiful earth! God didn't just create nature, but He also created us. I know this seems obvious, but think about it. The human body is such an amazing, intricate system, and it was all created by who? GOD! Girls, we aren't coincidentally made this way, and the earth doesn't look beautiful by accident. Next time you look around outside, think, "My Creator created this!" Really notice all the elaborate leaves, the gorgeous flowers, and the birds' songs.
As Nehemiah 9:6 says, " You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you." A lot of times, we take creation for granted. You probably see trees and grass everyday, for example, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't admire them! See the world in a different perspective, and this will give you an opportunity to appreciate God more. See creation as a privilege that God has given to you!

Praise Jesus, By Sarah P.

Praise Jesus

By Sarah P.

Savior, Redeemer, Counselor, Emmanuel, Son of God, Light of the world, Lamb of God, Messiah, King of Kings, Comforter, Lord of Lords, Keeper, The Good Shepard, The Great I am, Friend, Star of David, King of the Jews. Jesus is all of these, and even more! How awesome it is to have a God who loves us, cares about us, and helps us! He is the highest, most exalted King of everything, yet He loves us! We are hopeless, sinful, and hateful without Him, yet He loves us so much that He died for us! That's the best thing that could ever happen to anyone. Aren't you glad Jesus died for us? It is truly, "Love unspeakable and full of Glory!" Amazing love of Jesus! That is enough of a reason for anyone to be glad! "Serve the Lord with gladness: come before His presence with singing!" -Psalm 100:2. So this Sabbath, whatever your life is like, praise Jesus! Worship Him who has redeemed us all!