I don't typically get too "preachy" on my blog posts, but tonight I've got some things to say... Within the last 6 months or so I've been involved in various Bible studies that I've thoroughly enjoyed. Every now and then I'll come home and want to put something on my blog about what I had learned and was affected by that particular night, but for whatever reason just didn't get to it. Then, a few days go by and the moment fades into the background of a crazy life of two boys and a home to take care of. Well, not tonight. I am currently doing a Bible study by Beth Moore called The Inheritance. Let me say, it has been one of my favorite Bible studies ever. It is basically about the inheritance that God promises us in His Word, and how we are to claim it. She began one week asking the question, "Do you believe God is a giver, or a taker?" Many people want to shout right out and say "giver!," because that is what most people are trained to think, whether they truly believe it or not. Although I bet if we all looked deep within ourselves there is the tiniest part that wants to say "taker." There is a part or parts that we hold back because we're just a little afraid that if we give ourselves COMPLETELY to God that it might involve some huge sacrifice that we're just not willing to give up. Over and over throughout the Word of God it talks about the things that God has to give to us-- His grace, His forgiveness, His mercy, His UNCONDITIONAL love, His power, His friendship... and all HE asks for in RETURN is our belief in Him. Our surrender to His will... Our acceptance of Him. He created us, wouldn't we want Him to be in control of our lives-- wouldn't our CREATOR know what's best for us and what would fill every void and emptiness within our hearts? He gives us so many things... but what keeps people from receiving them is simply the fact that they don't GO GET THEM! For example, Jesus Christ FREELY gives salvation to us, there is nothing we could ever do to deserve or EARN it-- all we have to do is ACCEPT it. It's ours for the taking, but we have to acknowledge it, and ACCEPT it. He freely gives, but that doesn't mean that we just receive automatically. He allows us the free will to ACCEPT them, or REJECT them. By choosing and setting out to ACCEPT them, especially in times of persecution or opposition, we develop the strength to HOLD onto them. Christ never said being a Christian would make your life EASIER... in many ways it makes your life more difficult-- people will mock you, maybe even hate you. People will not understand your convictions. People may be threatened by you or think that you look down on them. You'll stand out like a sore thumb (I have experienced this my entire life of serving Christ). But anything you could ever experience you have a God who has experienced it before, in His life here on earth. And He stands by our side, and if we'll only lean on His strength He'll get us through it. Also, He promises us that He'll NEVER give us more than we can bare. And by working through these obstacles and forcing our way through to grabbing ahold of the things He has for us we slowly develop the muscle to HOLD ONTO them. He knows that when we choose to work through our situations towards accepting the things we are to receive, we'll have more strength to KEEP them (they'll be more precious to us & we'd appreciate them more)-- so that at the next turn when life throws something our way that shakes us, we won't just give up and forget what God has done for us.
"Why must there be hard times?," many would ask... First let me start with a profound statement Beth Moore used tonight: "Jesus knows it's scary to be us." He knows. He knows it's scary when we don't know how we'll pay the next bill. He knows it's scary when we have to go back into a doctor to be re-examined for an issue we hope will never come back. He knows it's scary when we lose a loved one tragically, or to an illness, or to a miscarriage, etc. He knows it's scary when someone takes advantage of us or hurts us and we live in fear of it being repeated.. He knows it's scary to be us. BUT, He promises us that He will make it worth our while, AND that we'll NEVER go through ANY of it alone. NOTHING that happens to us happens in vain. Beth Moore talked about how she was victimized as a young child, and once hated even the thought of it being brought up. But she said she finally realized that she shouldn't just bury it.. not that she needs to remind herself of it or re-experience it in anyway- but that she needed to realize that those things happened to her and has made her the person that she is today. They were allowed to happen to form who she is today so that she can relate to people who've maybe experienced similar things, or who've experienced just plain horrible things that think God must hate them. Everything about our lives, from where we've lived, to where we've gone to school, or worked, to our ethnicity, to our failures or painful experiences, or health issues--- GOD CAUSES ALL THINGS TO WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM (Romans 8:28). NOTHING happens to us by chance. It is hard to understand why we must go through certain things, or why those we love experience certain things... especially things like illnesses, or handicaps, or death, etc. But God PROMISES to make it worth our while. Many are afraid they'd have to give too much up to serve God-- that Christians are "boring" or have too many rules... but Holiness actually FREES us up, it does not put us in bondage. Our lives are promised to be richer spiritually when we are obedient to Him.
Well I rambled on alot longer than I planned... hopefully nothing is confusing. I've learned so much and I tried to fit it all in so I know it's a bit overwhelming!! But I hope that someone out there who reads this blog happened to need to hear this... :)
I leave you with this thought... Serve God for WHO He is, not what He can give you...
Getting the lemons out of the picking contraption
Opa, Linz and Brayden enjoying WATCHING :)
My dad up in the lemon tree cutting down branches
Kevin getting down the lemons
Tyler helped for such a long time, little trooper
Tyler squeezing lemons
Elijah getting his turn
Tyler, Brayden and Elijah
Lillie fell asleep on Grandpa and they had a little snooze ;)
