Devotions

I'm not too fond of the "grey areas" in my faith. I know that to God, there is only black and white in the Bible, because He created it. He knows it better than I ever will. ...When you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. 1 Thessalonians 2:13 NIV I would like to think that I can perfectly understand everything on my own. God created me to be smart, right? I can do it without Him, right? Nope. Jesus said it himself: "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5 NIV This is one of the black and white phrases that I love, that apart from God, we're powerless. If we remain in God, as Jesus said, we will bear much fruit. That's pretty cut and dry, and believe that statement, too.  I just get so confused when God speak...

TIE THEM AS SYMBOLS ON YOUR HANDS... ...Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:5-9 NIV I'm sure you've heard the first part of the passage I posted above. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart..." etc. What do you think of when you hear this? It sounds pretty simple, right? It's actually quite difficult. Perhaps something that has been attempted many times, and only achieved once. A friend I was talking to was teaching me about the many things we as Christians face: the challenges that get between us and God... sin, the world, and Satan. Sin and ...

A good friend of mine told me that he really liked lights. You know, Christmas lights, streetlights, and starry nights. But I remember he said something about really liking the concept of light, too. Like a light shining among sheer darkness. We all know the analogy that Jesus makes in the book of John: Dispute Over Jesus’ Testimony When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.” Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. In your own Law it is written that th...

The Powerful Words of Jesus Oftentimes we hear John 3:16 and don't even pay attention to it, like we have SUCH a better understanding of the Bible that we don't ever need to hear that beginners' verse again. That's for new believers. That's outdated. Maybe you have never thought that, ever , and the fact that I'm thinking like that disgusts you. But I'm not going to lie, sometimes I overlook verses like that, like the Lord's prayer, like Psalm 23, "the Lord is my shepherd..." And sometimes, at least for me, anyway, I focus so much on the interesting, new, rarely heard pieces of scripture instead of focusing on the core of my faith-- the words Jesus himself spoke. So, that's what I'm going to try to do-- focus on Jesus. Listen to HIS message for my life instead of searching for my own comforting words. Maybe His words will be uncomfortable to hear sometimes, because listening to them might mean I have to change some parts of my ...

The Internet is a giant, swirling black hole that consumes all who enter into it's vices. Technology is its mother, and humans are its food, fed carelessly by the thousands into its mouth. The world is corrupt. It feeds on power and fame and money. It detests the kind-hearted and loathes all who speak a word of humility. I search for happiness-- a break from the depressing realm of reality. I long for some type of boost-- a pat on the back, a compliment, a good grade... All are worthless. No matter how many A's I receive, no matter how many people think I'm pretty, smart, unique, independent-- none of it matters. Not one pleasure of the world can suffice for the genuine need of a human for love. On the bright side, there is a well that never runs dry. I need to stop searching in worldly places. The Internet is in fact a black hole. It provides temporary "likes" and "friends" but none of them are real. None are perfect, and eternal. All will o...

YES, YOU'RE FORGIVEN... NOW WHAT ABOUT ME ? Sometimes, let's be honest... we give grace just because it's the right thing to do. Someone really does deserve to be punished, but you know that they deserve to receive grace even more. So maybe you don't even think twice about it, and don't even consider what's been done wrong, or even how often it's been done wrong. You think back to the innocent man being nailed to a cross for the forgiveness of your sins-- and not JUST your sins, but those of others as well. And to be honest, I think that's a pretty good habit to be in-- loving and forgiving all people, and not having a little list of sins inscribed on your heart that contain the faults of others. First Corinthians 13:4-5 states that: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. -NIV I want to focus...

FREE IS THE RAREST OF THINGS When you stop to think about it, something that is truly, completely, 100% free is extremely rare. When's the last time you used a coupon because you thought you were getting something free, but there were all these crazy strings attached? You get a free shirt if you spend $50 on jeans. You must get this free shirt between these certain dates, and if not, no free shirt. You can get a free drink-- if you buy a meal. You can get a free copy of a magazine-- but only if you subscribe for a certain amount of time. You get a free smart phone-- but only if you buy the expensive data plan to go with it. When is there ever anything that is seriously free? Meaning you have to do absolutely nothing to receive it-- spend no money whatsoever. It's pretty rare, right? To find something with no strings attached? Not only are free things rare-- but when are rare things ever free? When do you walk into a comic book store to find a limited edition of some r...

HOW COULD I NOT GIVE IT AWAY SO FREELY? God's grace is a complete and utter mystery to me. I don't understand much of it at all. I dont' understand why He would ever love sinner like us. I don't understand why we literally don't have to do ANYTHING to deserve His grace but believe in His Son. It is unheard of. It's insane. It's unbelievably simple, yet I get so mislead to the point where I actually think that I need to deserve His grace, that I can somehow be "good enough," to earn it. How stupid of me. God's grace has a few facts that we can understand, and I'm going to lay them out, here on this web page. The facts of grace. Fact Number One: Grace is undeserving. That means that we can never be good enough, never do any amount of good deeds in order to earn His grace, not ever. We simply have to believe in Him. We don't have to go to church. We don't have to take communion. We don't have to give money to the church....

A REVOLUTION . So I'm reading a book on grace, and believe it or not I'm beginning to find that Christians have a really skewed view of one of the most important aspects of our faith-- grace. So I'm going to try and give people, and myself, a better understanding of the amazing gift God has given. I was most confused when I read the Old Testament, because it was before Christ, and before grace had changed forever. I believe the author when he said that grace was existing since the beginning of time, that God cared about us SO much that He give us food, friends, and gave us authority over all He created. He specifically made sure everything He made was good-- not for His own gain but because He loved us that much. Humans did nothing to please Him in the beginning, we were just-- there, temporarily following His commands. And then we even disobeyed God, and He still let us live and increase in number... think about it: God created the world so perfectly and cared abo...

ARMOR OF GOD Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God , so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace . In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith , with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit , which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:10-17 NIV Sometimes, I'll be completely...

GIRL VS. WORLD. I like the ring of this title. Hmm... So I often see the way the world is running, and look at the lives of non-believers and wonder WHY the heck I even have standards. I know it's a very selfish thought, but following Jesus can be hard sometimes, and sometimes I think about what it would be like if I had no guilt or shame for doing things the world claims as completely innocent. I looked in the back of my Bible and the topic of discipline was presented. Spiritual discipline, mental discipline, and discipline of one's actions can set one person apart from another. Two people could look the exact same, dress the same, and talk the same, but the discipline of their very beings is something that seperates the two. The Bible mentions the world many times, how it is set apart from Jesus. Jesus says His kingdom is not of this world: John 18:36 NIV Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest ...

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud... 1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is pretty complex, it has a lot of parts to it. But then again-- it's pretty simple, too! Love all, no matter what the world views them as. Today we're focusing on three aspects of 1st Corinthians 13... love not envying, not boasting, and not being proud. This is especially hard for humans to grasp, because we don't have the right mindset with our blessings. An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.” Luke 9:46-48 Believe it or not, all good things are from God. Our family, our house, our job, He blesses us with so much and yet we take all the credit. "Look at my new_____,...

Peace. The image of peace has become a new phenomenon, I've noticed. Peace signs are etched on shirts and hoodies, there are peace bracelets, peace folders and pens and pencils. If people actually wrote peace on their hearts, I feel that the world would be a little closer to what God wants, for us to focus on Him instead of sin. Think about it, when God created the world, He created it perfectly, so Adam and Eve could live with no needs, and wouldn't be distracted from Him. He provided them with all they needed because He cared about them SO much. They were His creation, and His most treasured * creation, at that. But when Adam and Eve sinned, their guilt separated them from the peace and stability of God. They literally hid from Him, and felt shame, for the first time in history. That wasn't God's plan for us. He doesn't want us to sin, but unfortunately, we do anyway. But years later, God sent His one and only Son to die for us, for the forgiveness of our sins. G...

WHEN YOU'RE DISAPPOINTED. I don't know about you, but most days I find myself slipping into the clutches of sin and I just get SO disappointed in myself, and in God, sometimes, for not being with me. When, in reality, it was really just me not looking hard enough for Him. Psalm 22 tells us that during our distress when we pray and have faith, that that God will listen to us. That he understands . Believe it or not, getting mad at God doesn't really do that much help. My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises. In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. Psalm 22:2-5 NIV Most of the time when we're disappointed we lose our hope and trust in the Lord. By getting angry with Him for not letting our hopes and plans unfold like we planed them. But Isaiah tel...

LOVE IS KIND... Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. -Romans 11:22 NIV Those who are kind benefit themselves, but the cruel bring ruin on themselves. -Proverbs 11:17 NIV Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty. -Job 6:14 NIV I bet when you read that this post was about kindness, you were under the impression that I would be talking about loving people and being kind to all people and skipping on pretty rainbows. Think again. Showing kindness to others is more than a suggestion. The Bible says that love itself is kind. If you love others, and if you love ALL people like the Bible commands, then you must be kind as well. I think often times people think that it's fine to get angry and snap at people, just as long as you love them at the end of the day. But kindness is much more serious than that-- you...

LOVE IS PATIENT. I'm afraid our world is very troubled. Shocker-- I know. But it is completely true. Our earth fails to love. It fails to love one another, fails to love our enemies, fails to truly love our spouses, boyfriends, girlfriends, etc. So many times I open up by Bible for comfort for myself, for ailing for my confusion and trials. And yesterday was a day that shall live in my heart forever-- the famous love passage was read. If you haven't already, go to http://www.biblegateway.com/ and read 1 Corinthians 13. It puts a lot of emphasis on love: If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:1-4 NI...

DRINK UP. NOTE: This is not encouragement to drink alcoholic beverages under the age of 21, or consume alcoholic beverages while operating machinery or vehicles. Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus... John 18: 10-12 NIV We all have a cup to drink. We are sinful people, and we mess up daily, straying from the plan that God has set out for us. Jesus did nothing wrong, but drank His cup anyway, leading to death on a cross. Maybe I'm losing a few of you. I'm talking about a figurative cup, obviously, one that is bitter and distasteful. God gives us mercy for our sins because of His Son, but in this world, Jesus states that we WILL have hardships. Sometimes hardships are in His plan, and like J...

PROACTIVE. No, I'm not talking about the acne product, but the characteristic that most all people seem to have. And maybe you're reading this and you're totally wanting to scream "I AM NOTTTTT PROACTIVE! I wait until the last possible moment to do stuff! You don't KNOW me, Carly!" But let's be completely honest for a second, okay? Have you ever had trouble sleeping because you can't stop thinking about the following day to come? Or have you ever expected a day to go a certain way and then BAM! It blows up in your face? I think we all have. I was working on a project with a group from my church when we were on a mission trip to Mexico, and we were planning a skit for the kids. I was freaking out because I didn't know much Spanish, and we didn't know how to get the right props, and the story was hard to act out, and I was acting like a crazy person. Our leader, a very wise woman, might I add, just told me we don't need to plan much. I was ba...

Philippians 2:1-8 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! If science had anything right, its the fact of adaptations. How animals adapt to their surroundings, their challeng...

BODY OF CHRIST This analogy is used a lot in the Bible. How we as believers are all one body, and how we should be working together to overcome. I think it's cool that we literally are Christ's body, too... as He lives in us, we act for Him. Philippians 3 tells us to forget what looms in the pasts and press towards the future. Paul writes that there are many people that are eager for destruction and want to push us down. We are to hold fast to the idea of our home in heaven, and to wait patiently for the Lord. I love this passage: Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior...

Turned Upside Down Sometimes I wish everything were black and white in Christianity. I guess it used to be, in the old testament, when God laid out the commandments to His followers. Thou shall not____ is pretty self-explanatory. But then Jesus came, and changed the world forever. His words were revolutionary, and still are today. Instead of Jesus telling people to stay away from the less fortunate, He calls us to reach out to them. "The last will be first" was a huge statement to make, even today. But what does that mean? Who are the "last"? And why does Jesus call us to be servants to others? We want to please God, and we want to follow in His footsteps, but HOW? Matthew 20:25-28 pretty much sums it up: Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be ...

IT'S ABOUT TIME... 2nd Peter 3:8-18 I sometimes get a little impatient. Okay, that's a lie. I am impatient nearly all the time. Impatient for people to call, impatient for meals, impatient for class to end, impatient for fun days to come, impatient for boring days to be over... the list could literally go on forever. One thing I've had a peace with is the end of time. I don't stress about when that day will come, because I know God has a plan for it, and no matter when it comes, it'll be awesome. 2nd Peter says God's concept of time is much different than ours. It says that to Him, a day is like a thousand years. It also says God is patient because He wants to give more people a chance to make the change and follow Him. Usually waiting for things gets easier if we have stuff to do in the meantime. Here's what the Bible says we should do while waiting for God to come again: But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar...

FAITH. 1 John 5:1-12 Dear God, It gets to difficult to live in this messed up, sinful world when all we have to live by is faith. We are selfish, and we want more-- more to assure us of You. Jesus, help us live by faith, even when it's hard. Help us to love others and live holy lives, set apart from the ways of the world. Help us live how You want us to live. This is hard to do, God, because often we need reminders of what You want for us. Please be active in our lives, and show us how You want us to live, and the decisions You want us to make. We fail on our own, Jesus, but in You we can do all things. Amen.

PEOPLE. Matthew 23:12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. ~Matthew 23:12 "...Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” ~Mark 10:43-45 Dear Jesus, You sacrificed Yourself on the cross, and You didn't even do anything wrong. But we, Jesus, are sinners, and are selfish sinners, at that. Help us to remember all You have done for us, and help us stop pretending that we are the center of the universe. Help us interact with Your people that way You would want us to-- in love, respect, honesty, and patience. Help us mend what is broken, for we know that when we interact with others, we are interacting with You. When we turn away from people, we are turning away from You. Please be with those we are unable to be with, and let them know the...

1 Corinthians 12:1-31 Read these chapters now at http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+12&version=NIV GOD HAS GIVEN YOU A GIFT. It's such a crazyyyyy thought to think that God has specifically given each and every one of His people a special gift to further His kingdom. It's difficult to imagine this huge concept because there are so MANY different gifts. But one thing that Paul stressed is that all of the gifts we're given are one together. He uses the analogy that we are all like body parts to one body, and we must work in peace with each other. This hard for me sometimes. I sometime get jealous at others' gifts, or even mad that some don't share my gifts, and I completely forget the meaning of gifts in the first place-- to glorify God! There are so many gifts... leadership, listening, mentoring, speaking... the list goes on and on. But most of you should at least have an idea of what God has blessed you with-- something that you're nat...

RELAXING... So... I started this summer blog thing to "kick off my shoes" and have a worry-free summer where I just come in contact with God and focus on His purpose rather than my own... and I've failed miserably. I can't seem to focus on more than like ten things at once. My summer has already gotten so clogged-- in these first few weeks, even!-- that I can't find the time to squeeze in some God. And I know that sounds horrible. Hopefully I'm not the only person who feels they put Him on the back shelf sometimes. Butttttt instead of moping about it-- let's do something. Sometimes a simple counting of one's blessings can really put things into perspective... even vague things we take for granted can be counted as blessings, like a roof over our heads, and food in our stomachs. The reality is that so many people in our messed up world don't have even the necessities to live, and it's a shocking but honest truth. So next time you want to do some...

Ezekiel 12:1-2~ Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people. This is an interesting passage. It is almost as if God is saying that He gives His people ears and eyes, but lets them chose if they want to hear or see. God then goes to say that after mankind's lack of hearing and sight, this makes us rebellious people. Interesting... Dear God, Help us to see with the eyes that You gave us. Help us see all You desire for us to see, and let Your purpose be revealed to us. We want to see You, Jesus, and we want to be exposed to Your glory, even though we're aware we don't deserve to be near You. Help us hear even the faintest cries for help, Lord. Help us be open to whatever we encounter along the way. We want to hear Your spirit inside of us, and want to hear Your calling for each of us. We realize that we need You to do both of these things, Jesus, and we pray that y...