Sunday, December 26, 2010

New Year's Resolution; Part 2

Like I promised I am going to update you about the reading through the Bible in a year plan. When we are doing this, it's not just to say that we've read through the Bible in a year, it's for us to study the Bible. We can't forget to focus on what we're reading because that is the most important thing. Now that we have focused on that New Year's Resolution, what other ones do you have? I have a few of them... One of them being to run 365 miles from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011. I can't decide if that's unreasonable or not but I'm going to tr y and do it. Of course the Lord is going to have to help me because this is gonna be hard to get going. So what are your new year's resolutions? I would love to hear them! I am going to put the January reading plan below for your convenience... because I probably won't have time to do a post every day. Hope you have a great week!

January
  1. Genesis 1-3
  2. Genesis 4-6
  3. Genesis 7-9
  4. Genesis 10-12
  5. Genesis 13-15
  6. Genesis 16-18
  7. Genesis 19-21
  8. Genesis 22-24
  9. Genesis 25-27
  10. Genesis 28-30
  11. Genesis 31-33
  12. Genesis 34-36
  13. Genesis 37-39
  14. Genesis 40-42
  15. Genesis 43-45
  16. Genesis 46-50
  17. Matthew 1-3
  18. Matthew 4-6
  19. Matthew 7-9
  20. Matthew 10-12
  21. Matthew 13-15
  22. Matthew 16-18
  23. Matthew 19-21
  24. Matthew 22-24
  25. Matthew 25-28
  26. Exodus 1-3
  27. Exodus 4-6
  28. Exodus 7-9
  29. Exodus 10-12
  30. Exodus 13-15
  31. Exodus 16-18

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Are You Ready For 2011?

Can you believe that it's almost 2011? I can't. It seems like just yesterday that we were sitting around waiting for 2010. Time definitely flies sometimes! Do you have any New Year's resolutions? I have a few so far. They are:

*Read my Bible every day and read through the whole thing in a year (Breanna and I are doing the same plan this year and I think she is going to post it for y'all).
*Run at least two miles at least three times a week (I'm trying to train for a 5K, so we'll see if that happens)
*Finish the year with all A's (I may have to change that to all A's and B's, but we'll see)

I'm sure that I will think of several more resolutions before the New Year begins. My challenge to y'all, though, is to really try to keep the important ones. I mean, I know that they are all important or you wouldn't have made them. But, for instance, if I don't run 2 miles three days a week, that won't affect me spiritually. But if I don't read my Bible every day, that might. So, I challenge you to at least keep the really important ones, even if those are the only ones you are able to keep. I am sure that there will (unfortunately) be days that I do not read my Bible this year. But I am going to try my best to do it whenever possible, and to make time to do it each day. I hope this post encourages you, and I would love to hear about any resolutions you have made!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

New Year's Resolution

What is your new year's resolution? Have you given it any thought? Well, I want to maybe give you an idea for your new year's resolution. My new year's resolution is to try and read through the whole Bible and I want you to do it with me! My plan is to open a new page and try to do a devotion update every day but with school that may not happen but I will do my best. This is a big challenge and may seem a bit overwhelming but we can do this together. I promise! I am really excite! It's gonna be a great study. Now this challenge to read the Bible in a year goes along with reading your Bible everyday. This may seem hard too . I know it will be for me but, if I have to be accountable like this then hopefully I will do better and I'm gonna try my hardest! Now I haven't decided which plan I am going to use yet but I will have that posted hopefully before the end of the week! So I hope you will take this challenge with me and try to complete it. Also, encourage your friends and family to do it with you if they don't have another Bible reading plan. The more we know about God the more we can understand Him though we can never fully understand Him. My next post will tell you more about this devotion plan and what it is about. I hope you all have a great night!

The Christmas Story

Have you ever read the Christmas story? It's a great story! And it really happened it's not just some fairy tale the someone made up. I am going to put the Christmas story account from Luke 2 below. I encourage you to read the whole story. Remember this is the true meaning of Christmas.

Luke 2:

The Birth of Jesus Christ
1In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
The Shepherds and the Angels
8And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 "Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"
15When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." 16And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

21And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Jesus Presented at the Temple
22And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23(as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord") 24and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons." 25Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
29"Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;
30for my eyes have seen your salvation
31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel."
33And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35(and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed."

36And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

The Return to Nazareth
39And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.
The Boy Jesus in the Temple
41Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. 43And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 44but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 45and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. 46After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress." 49And he said to them, "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?" 50And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. 51And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.
52And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.

Is there more?

Well, if you read my last post you remember is was about focusing on Christ during Christmas. But is that the only time we need to focus on Him? No! He should be our main focus all the time but rarely is. Trying to focus on Him is often the last thing we want to especially with all the things the world has to offer. The world often looks more appealing but that's not true. The world often tempts you to do stuff that you know is wrong and yet you do it anyways. I would know because I do it too. I am human and so are you so naturally we don't want to follow Christ. I know Carline just did a challenge but, I'm going to give you another one:D. I want you to start focusing on Him all year round. Now there are going to be some challenges and you're going to be tempted. But I don't want you to not do the right thing because you're scared. We need to stand up and follow Christ it's gonna test your strength but I have a feeling most of you are strong enough if you ask God for you help. I hope you will take this challenge. I am going to try. I hope you have a great day!!!

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Christmas: A Challenge

With it being so close to Christmas, I thought I'd do a post about it. I know Breanna just did one, but I thought I would challenge everyone (and myself!!) about the true meaning of Christmas. I tell myself every year that I'm going to do better, but somehow, I never really do. Maybe it is because I'm not asking Christ for help. Maybe I'm depending on myself to fix what I can't. So, this year, I am going to ask Christ to help me focus on Him this Christmas. I am also going to focus more on giving than receiving. I already have so much, and there are so many people with nothing. I hope this challenge motivates you, and I will post back after Christmas and let y'all know how it went!

What is the True Meaning of Christmas?

What is the true meaning of Christmas? Christmas is when we celebrate the birth of Christ. What do we normally act like the true meaning of Christmas is about? Why do we have a countdown to Christmas? Most of the times it's to open presents, give gifts, spend time with family, etc. We most of the time focus on us and not God like we're supposed to. I'm not saying that you shouldn't have a countdown to Christmas or that you shouldn't give or receive gifts at all! The problem is that so many people want to push Christ out Christmas. People do it by simply saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas". This Christmas make sure you keep Christ your main focus. This may be hard but, if you stay true to Christ it will pay off. Now how could you keep Christ is Christmas? I encourage you to think big. I have a small idea though. Every Christmas me and my family get up and before we open presents or anything we open the Bible and we read the Christmas story. You could start by doing that. I hope you remember the keep Christ in Christmas this season!!! Have a great day:D

Saturday, December 18, 2010

The Fear of Man Part 2

As promised, here is m my second post on the fear of man. I hope it will encourage you, even though it is kind of hard for me to write since I struggle with this a lot. For more information, read, When People Are Big And God Is Small. It has helped me tremendously and much of the information from this post is taken from it.
I think much of my problem is just simply caring what people think of me and not caring what God thinks. If I am picking out an outfit, I think, "Will the people of school like this outfit?" rather than, "Would God approve of this outfit?". Or, if I'm taking a test, I think "I need to get a good grade so people will like me and look up to me," rather than, "God wants me to think more about serving Him and less about my grades." To solve this problem, we must fear God rather than man. We need to be more focused on what God thinks of our actions than what people do. When we are making a choice, the first thing we should think about is whether our decision is glorifying God. I really struggle with this because I am an extremely prideful person. I want others to like me. It isn't wrong to be liked and accepted by people, but it is more important to glorify God.
Take Job, for example. He was hit by too many trials and tragedies to even count. Rather than listening to his friends, though, he lived uprightly. He feared God and knew that if he listened to his wife's advice to "curse God and die [Job 2:9]," he would be condemned. That really struck me, because I am so fortunate, and yet Job's attitude was so much better than mine, even in the midst of all those troubles. That was another example to me about how far I still have to go, but I am confident that God will help me if I ask Him. I hope that this post is encouraging and helpful!

Friday, December 10, 2010

The Proverbs 31 Woman

I was reading through Proverbs 31 the other day, and although I have read it many times, I realized that I had not taken the time to fully meditate on everything that it says. As I was reading it, I underlined in my Bible all of the characteristics of the Proverbs 31 woman. I then transferred them to a notebook so that I could look back at them and easily see all of them. I was overwhelmed at all of them, but I was also motivated to ask God to help me be like this woman. Here is the list of all the characteristics:

The Proverbs 31 woman...
~has a noble character
~is worth more than rubies
~is fully trusted by her husband
~lacks nothing of value
~brings her husband good ALL the days of her life (emphasis mine)
~works with eager hands and strong arms
~gets up while it is still dark
~sets about her work vigorously
~opens her arms to the poor
~is clothed with strength and dignity
~speaks with wisdom
~has faithful instruction on her tongue
~does not eat the bread of idleness
~know that charm is deceptive and beauty is vain
~fears the LORD

Wow! That is definitely a long list of characteristics. Some of these are abstract. They aren't something that we can physically do, but we can do things to give us this kind of spirit. But, we can't do any of them without God's help. So, I hope that you will be praying along with me and asking God to help you have these characteristics (I don't know if there are any guys out there, but, if there are, y'all obviously aren't going to have all these characteristics. But, some of them can apply to you too!). I hope this post is encouraging and helpful!!

Monday, December 6, 2010

The Fear of Man

The fear of man is a Bible term for what most people today call peer pressure or sometimes codependency. It's basically fearing man more than you fear God. It can (as I learned the hard way) lead to many issues and problems. I am reading a book by Edward T. Welch called When People Are Big and God Is Small. It has been a very convicting and insightful book, and I would highly recommend reading it. I will do several posts on it over the next couple months, and I hope that they will help you as much as they have helped me. I will do a list of points that I have taken from the book. I know that it will take me a really long time to fully put what I have learned into practice (and even then, I will still fail at it sometimes), but I feel that if this concept were fully embraced by everyone, our world would be so much better.
I am about halfway done with the book, and I have already learned so much. In one place, the author was talking about what would happen if everyone feared God and not man. He said, "Just imagine what it would be like to truly hate sin, first our own, then the sins of others (Matt. 7:3-5). What would happen to marital fights? They would be almost impossible. Spouses would be too busy listening and asking forgiveness for their own selfishness. What about the little cliques in the school yard? They would be telling good stories about somebody else. What about when someone sins against us? We would no longer have to murder the person in our own heart. Instead, we could cover the sin in humility and love, or we could confront the other person in the same spirit." [Page 114, When People Are Big And God Is Small]
That passage really affected me, because it showed me what the positive effects of this mindset are. It showed me how I can accurately show God to others, and how I can build others up rather than tearing them down. I have done this whole post with only one quote from the book. I think that shows how big this concept is. That quote came from the middle of the book, but I thought it might be a good place to start. The first several chapters of the book talked about how and why we fear people more than God; then, the book transitioned into how we find freedom from this and fear God instead. I will do a couple more posts on this later on, but I hope this helps you!