it's freezing cold here, yet I'm just chilling right now and feeling great. God is just so amazing. Hands down - God is just amazing. I'm listening to Jason Mraz's I'm Yours also and just feeling pretty much as 'feel good' as that song is.
So here are just a few things I've learned this past week from listening to people and just gaining wisdom from others and God. I've learned that despite it being hard, you have to stand up for what is right, even when it means telling your friends that they are doing something completely wrong. It was really hard to do it, but I had to. God, thankfully, honored it and we all had a great time together after I confronted them. Seems really KJ to even me, but it had to be done. I mean, we have to stand for GOd, right? No matter waht, no matter where, we cannot check morals or our faith at the door.
I also learned that God has perfect, and I mean perfect timing. Two of my best friends came up from Florida for just a little bit, not really knowing I was even around and asked me if I was in the city. So we got to hang out and really bond again. It honestly was just cool and a bit odd, but still really cool. I mean, I wanted to tell them that it was like nothing has changed, but it did. Mainly for the better. After hanging out, we sat down and praise and worshpped God (I was on the drums and Peter was on the piano) and we had this fun and slightly off key worship time. And then we prayed for each other. Peter shared with me how the Bible says that the man who finds a wife has found a good thing. But what it means is that you're not looking, you stumble upon. It's like if I'm going to go to do God's will for my life, I may find the wife God has meant for me, but that doesn't mean that I leave the path God has laid for me, it means that I keep on going to my destination - whcih is God's plan for my life. What was so cool, and why I'm sharing it, is that Peter told me that he really thought of me when he heard the message at his church and felt compelled to tell me.
God has also been sending support in which has been great. It's not much, but at the same time, it is a lot. It is more than I expected and is coming from people that I did not expect. God just reminds me constantly how He is taking care of us each step of the way and there is no reason why we can't trust Him.
Lastly, I have learned that we should rejoice in God's blessings by doing the happy cow dance :-P I know, right? What's the happy cow dance? It's actually biblical. Malachi 4:2 says, " 2 “But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings.[b] And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture." Tha'ts the happy cow dance 3:-O I'm just totally feeling great and feeling loved and honestly dancing for God in my heart because I just can't contain how awesome He is. God has blessed me so abundantly. He has blessed me with all of you, yes, each and everyone of you, God has blessed me with this trip here, God has blessed me by surrounding me with such wise people, God has given me enough finances so I can focus on serving Him, God has given me my health, especially my health, God has given me a ministry, etc. You don't know, honestly, just how amazing He is.
I've actually had a hard time on one hand, at first, because I found out three of my friends have cancer. But, seeing their joy in God despite that is such an encouragement. They really just love God so much and pour their heart to Him in service and in love and care about others rather than themselves. One of my friends, he's got diabetes and then got cancer of the blood. His mom died about four years ago. Yet, like Job, He is not bitter towards God. He looks to God and knows that He is in control. I remember when his mom was in the hospital, he would sit there beside her bedside, and even if she was pretty much comatose, he would read to her the cards people would send. "Mom," he would say, "Someone sent you this card, and it says..." He's honestly just an amazing guy and I have found myself reminded of the strength in God I should have each day. I've actually been convicted at how I've been living in teh Philippines. Time is short, and I really haven't been doing my best for God. Sense of urgency, as they say. You never know what is going to happen tomorrow, so let God use you today and may His glory be shown.
I know a lot of you are going through hard times now. I've been reading everyone's blogs and even know that a lot of you have finals this coming week (yes, UPers and Messians), and I'm praying for all of you. I'm not just sayign that. God is gonig to be with each and every one of you. I know there are times like now taht its hard seeing what God is doing through these trials. It's easy to ignore it and praise God for the good things, but it is even better to be able to priase God for who He is despite the hardships. It is saying that the Lord gives and the Lord takes away - Blessed be the name of the Lord. It is saying that even if God smites me, i will forever praise His name. Why is that? It is because we worship and follow God not because of what He gives us but because of who he is. Think about that. Do you follow God because of what He gives you or because He is God? The reason it is so important to not follow God because He gives us gifts is because once those blessings stop or the hardship comes, we look to God and say "You're not fair!" We complain and complain because we think God is the one who gvies us gifts and it is only in his gifts that our love for Him lasts. But if we praise and worship God and follow Him because of who He is - we will always be abel to stay strong in our faith because God never changes.
I love all of you and I miss you too. Please come to teh youth camp. I'd love to hang out with each of you there cause I get the feeling that may be the first time I see all of you. For people like Sean who I heard isn't coming, well, I'll just have to go and invade your house during the week before and say hi. But then again, for two of you, you know we'll meet up in Trinoma and probably watch Horton Hears a Who, cause, I mean, our spot is Trinoma and you knwo I don't go there unless you're there ;-) Truly truly, I say this, I love each of you. May God bless you abundantly this week and may you feel His love.
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