mid-day scribbles..
a letter from Paul, to me..
"Dear Hayley,
I noticed you sitting in the corner over there.. You looked sad, and your thoughts expressed that you long for something more in this life. -- I know what may cheer you up! My God is merciful. He is powerful, and He is the only true Lord. He knows your troubles, so.. go to Him. Don't follow the world anymore -- for God is much bigger than the world. Clean out your mind and revamp your thinking -- use your thoughts to devote your life to Christ. Sure, you'll have to give up a lot of things in order to serve Him -- but, really? that isn't much to ask from us because the Lord provides. Through your service, you show others that you love Him. Through the way you act, you set an example to the lost. Offer your body as a living sacrifice -- I know it is a struggle to make a 360 degree turn, but you can do it! For if you do, you will be blessed by the understanding of God's perfect will. You will know God Himself, and what a wonderful blessing it is to know the Lord. You will attain true happiness through the Lords grace..
think about it..
-Paul "
.. a "living sacrifice" -- what the heck is a living sacrifice. Does anyone know if that's considered a double negative?
"Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you wil be able to test and approve what God's will is -- His good, pleasing and perfect will."
Romans 12:1-2
I heard this verse read aloud on the radio one Sunday morning -- and then heard my dad use it in class later that day. I suppose it didn't hit me until later that I was getting a beating by the word of God. --
Rebuked... That's the perfect word to describe how I felt when I broke this verse down.
On a day to day basis, I do my normal routine -- and frankly.. my routine doesn't involve hardcore studying, so I didn't look into this deeply when I read it previously.
I have to give up myself to be pleasing to God? -- I have to give up my desires, and my needs -- to serve a God I can't see?
[yes.]
Kind of bumming when put that way, eh?
turn it around:
Because I have made Christ my center -- I am gaining everything I gave up, plus some. All because God says.. "I know you."
Job...
oh Job.
I wish I had met Job -- he must've been the most intensely passionate man on earth to continue to live a Godly life, even after he'd lost everything. Job did exactly what Paul said to the Romans. And Job was blessed with 10 times more than he had before.
God knew Job.
and.. up until this point, He knew me not.I'm officially the luckiest person ever to have been given the time to truly devote my life to Christ.
He knows me too, now.
crazy how simple it is...
a letter from Paul, to me..
"Dear Hayley,
I noticed you sitting in the corner over there.. You looked sad, and your thoughts expressed that you long for something more in this life. -- I know what may cheer you up! My God is merciful. He is powerful, and He is the only true Lord. He knows your troubles, so.. go to Him. Don't follow the world anymore -- for God is much bigger than the world. Clean out your mind and revamp your thinking -- use your thoughts to devote your life to Christ. Sure, you'll have to give up a lot of things in order to serve Him -- but, really? that isn't much to ask from us because the Lord provides. Through your service, you show others that you love Him. Through the way you act, you set an example to the lost. Offer your body as a living sacrifice -- I know it is a struggle to make a 360 degree turn, but you can do it! For if you do, you will be blessed by the understanding of God's perfect will. You will know God Himself, and what a wonderful blessing it is to know the Lord. You will attain true happiness through the Lords grace..
think about it..
-Paul "
.. a "living sacrifice" -- what the heck is a living sacrifice. Does anyone know if that's considered a double negative?
Romans 12:1-2
I heard this verse read aloud on the radio one Sunday morning -- and then heard my dad use it in class later that day. I suppose it didn't hit me until later that I was getting a beating by the word of God. --
Rebuked... That's the perfect word to describe how I felt when I broke this verse down.
On a day to day basis, I do my normal routine -- and frankly.. my routine doesn't involve hardcore studying, so I didn't look into this deeply when I read it previously.
I have to give up myself to be pleasing to God? -- I have to give up my desires, and my needs -- to serve a God I can't see?
[yes.]
Kind of bumming when put that way, eh?
turn it around:
Because I have made Christ my center -- I am gaining everything I gave up, plus some. All because God says.. "I know you."
Job...
oh Job.
I wish I had met Job -- he must've been the most intensely passionate man on earth to continue to live a Godly life, even after he'd lost everything. Job did exactly what Paul said to the Romans. And Job was blessed with 10 times more than he had before.
God knew Job.
and.. up until this point, He knew me not.I'm officially the luckiest person ever to have been given the time to truly devote my life to Christ.
He knows me too, now.
crazy how simple it is...