Sermons | Our Inheritance is Love

This is what I took out of a sermon based off of Galatians 4: 1 - 9. 

Somehow we can become slaves to our religion. We get caught in this way of thinking that makes us believe that we are saved only by what we do and following the laws by the book. But we were given the inheritance like a biological son. Jesus has relieved us from being slaves to our religion and allows us to receive our inheritance; we are now His children.

Along with being slaves to our religion, sometimes we may feel that we have to live in trying to "pay God back" but in all honesty we will never be able to pay everything back. We will never live up to the expectation of perfection. Jesus was that perfection, and he has already paid it all for us. (This part of the sermon made me think of Chris Tomlin's song Jesus Paid it All) He is the only one that can redeem us. Nothing we do now can make Him love us more or less.

We solely just need to trust and believe with our all. Religion isn't what you do, but it's about your relationship with Jesus. So don't live like a slave, live like a dear beloved child (daughter/son). It's never about what we do, but it's about Jesus. Who He is, What He's done, and What is to come because He paid it all off for us.

We can't earn His love, He calls us to rest in it. 

I took this picture in the Crystal Caves of Spring Valley, Wisconsin. It's amazing how this Speleothems and everything in the cave have sat and rested in these underground caves for hundreds of years. But they continue to grow. It shows that some of the coolest things things are found within and not laid out for everyone to see. And Jesus calls us to rest in Him and the love we have inherited.

GWOTM | God's Way of Telling Me

God is on our side. This week has been stressed with exams, papers, and group projects. Every single day has been jammed pack. Even though last night I took a break and stayed out late, somehow I woke up at 5:30 and was unable to go back to bed. To me, this is God's way of telling me He loves me and knows that I needed to wake up early to finish the two papers I have due today. Sometimes He has a funny way of doing things. I also had perks for half off of a Caribou drink, so it all came together in my mind. 

Thank God that He knows what's best for us. ❤️❤️

Sermons | Rest in Jesus, the Truth

This sermon was examining Galatians 3:15-29

In verses 19 – 20, we see the mediator. In this case the mediator is Moses. The Law was added because of human sin, as a way to remind us that there is salvation. We also see the Seed, which is capitalized because Jesus fulfilled being the seed. The Law cannot bring life, it was meant to be a guide like a roadmap; it’s not the destination. It was a way to remember that there is salvation but it’s not here to give salvation—this is what Jesus fulfilled.

During the time Paul wrote this, Galatia was looking to the Law instead of looking towards the promise that God had originally made. Adding to anything does not get rid of the main agreement. That is what the Law had been for the people in Galatia, they stood by the Law and not the beginning covenant that was made between God and Abraham-which was a promise to Abraham and his seed. It is one seed (“and to your seed” - Genesis 12:7; 13:15; 24:7), which again is Jesus.

The Law doesn’t oppose God’s promise, but we are not bound to the Law. With this, God’s promise will be given to those who believe. Verses 26 – 29 explain that no one is kept out of belonging to Christ and being part of the promise if you have faith in Jesus. Everyone has the ability to be heirs of the promise now because of Christ Jesus.

What does this mean for us to live the promise? It’s easy to live by works because you get to see what you accomplish and at the end you feel like you earn it. But this isn’t how it works with Jesus. Nothing you do makes God love you more or less. If you measure yourself with the deeds you fulfill, you will probably judge others to how much they do by the Law. And this is not right because we aren’t the judge. God is, and he has allowed us to not be chained by the Law.

All we are justified by now is our faith in Christ. So, we are to rest in who Jesus is and in the truth—the promise of life with Christ.

Other Notes:

-       The name Isaac means laughter.

-       Christ is enough, by Hillsong

-       What Joy, by Sarah Emerson

Sermons | Peter and Food

You can tell a lot about someone from what they eat. You may be able to see people's heritage in what they eat, or what type of lifestyle they are trying to lead if they are very strict on health diets.

Galatians was written to Christians who have already been baptized, but they had fallen off the path. Today at Large Group, Adam taught. Adam had a good example for this that made it easier to understand. When you are trying to cook and all you had was a history book, it wouldn't work because you are reading something of the wrong context and putting it to the wrong use. Along with this, in all it's about who you have dinner with that can show who you are. 

In Galatians 2:12, it shows how Peter, a Jew, ate food with the Gentiles, but when the other Jews came, Peter quickly separated himself because it was against the religious act of becoming a Jew. Jews divided everyone in two groups: those who are Jews and those who aren't Jews (aka Gentiles). Jews have strict food laws, so eating Gentile food was known to make Jews unclean. But by this time, Jesus, who was also a Jew, had already fulfilled the old laws and proclaimed that we should go out to the world and make disciples of all nations not just Jews (ie. Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:15). They are no longer the only chosen people, but Jesus made it so everyone who believes in him is part of the chosen family. 

Paul proclaims in Galatians that a man is made right with God by putting all his trust in Jesus, not by following strict Laws. In no way should anyone separate themselves with people they may feel is lesser because they may follow different laws. It is now based on believing in Jesus Christ. God wants all His people to be together. It takes the incredible diversity of the world to represent even the slightest of the diversity in the kingdom of God. 

Everything is now secondary to being part of the Jesus' family; the laws we follow, our denomination, our race, culture, language, sexuality. What comes first is putting all our trust in Jesus. There are no "but"s after, "You're a Christian". There is no you're a Christian but you don't follow these rules, You're a Christian but you're not circumcised, etc. No one is lesser than anyone, confessing Jesus trumps all. 

I'll leave this question here today: 

Is there someone or a group of people you've been avoiding that you need to sit down at a table and eat with? 

Sermons | Forgiveness with the unmerciful servant

At college, I've been going to this local church whenever I can. This semester I noticed how their attendance looked a lot less than it was before the summer. Today the pastor mentioned it, along with how strong repentance is and asking for forgiveness. I'm not sure what all happened at the church this year, but I believe God is really working with them still. The hard thing about forgiveness is when it becomes really personal. I really liked how the pastor noted that we have to remember that repentance doesn't have any "but"s. You cannot say "I'm sorry I did this, but..." - "I didn't know what you were going through", "you never told me", etc. You have to know where your faults were and really repent it all.

For forgiveness we looked at the parable of the unmerciful servant (Matthew 18:21 - 35).

First off, a parable is a simple fictional story with a meaningful moral or lesson behind it. Jesus taught a lot in parables for three reasons:

1.  To conceal - Jesus taught in parables to conceal his teaching from those outside of the kingdom of God who may have been hostile to him. 
2. To reveal - Sometimes He used parables to reveal to those on the outside. These were his simple stories that those from the outside could easily related to.
3. To confirm - Jesus also taught in parables to confirm how God wants us to live. In parable he can better clarify how God wants us to be and make it more understandable. 

In this parable, Jesus is answering Peter's question of how many times one should forgive someone who sins against them. Peter asks if seven times is enough because that was the number of completion in that culture. 

Verses 23 to 25 sets up the stage. We are introduced to the main characters: the king who wants to settle accounts with his servants, and the servant who owes 10,000 talents. Now 10,000 talents is worth A LOT. Just imagine, King Herod the Great had the annual salary of 900 talents; so in other words Jesus is say that it was impossible for the servant to pay back his debt. In Matthew 5:25, Jesus explains the culture of the courts in those days and how creditors can put those who owe them money in prison. 

It seems that Jesus adds a bit of humor in verse 26 when the servant says "I will pay you back everything" because it is a debt so large it would take over his lifetime to pay it off. But as we know, the King took pity on his servant and canceled the debt, letting him go. Then once the servant sees one of his fellow servants who owes him a much, much smaller amount, he demands his money back and has his servant thrown in prison. The king soon hears about this outraging story, and says, "I cancelled all your debt because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?"

Hearing this story today, I've never understood it better. God has forgiven our sins, so we should not hold anger against others and forgive them of everything they may do to us as well. John Piper puts it well, " In other words, God’s forgiveness is underneath ours, creates it, and supports it. So that if we don’t give it to others—if we go on in an unforgiving spirit—what we show is that God is not there in our lives – we are not trusting Him."

Unforgiveness reveals that we don't agree or understand Jesus or His teachings. Jesus came down to forgive all of ours sins. We are already forgiven 10,000 talents, therefore we should forgive everyone of even just 100 talents. This reminded me a lot of how much hate goes on with churches and things that go on in society, such as with LGBT groups. I believe that this verse is really telling us that no matter what pops up during our time here on earth, we have no control over it and we also have no right to judge and persecute anyone for this sins. I think there are many churches out there that need to repent. No one sin is greater than any other. I feel so much sadness for those who are persecuted so harshly for their sins by other sinners. Though I see in our times today, we are becoming more forgiving. Progress takes time, give it all up to God. 

"If we do not forgive others, we have not yet received or do not understand the very cost of God's forgiveness."

Praise to God | Finally an Internship!

I was finally able to land an internship after all this time of applying, interviewing, and stressing. I had almost given up this week by starting to look for just summer jobs. But on Wednesday I got the offer call! It was very exciting. My roommate and I called that our best college day ever because just earlier that same day she passed her Human Resource certification exam.

One thing I realized I did different for this interview was rely on other people. I asked for help from my family and from God. I asked him to give me the strength to get through the interview and answer how He wants me to. I also knew that it was okay if I didn't get this internship because it's what His will is for us. After the interview, honestly I felt so relieved and so stressed afterwards but also so happy that God gave me this opportunity to interview with such encouraging people.

From my family, this was the only internship where I gave in to them and asked them to help me. I also told them how nervous I was for it. I realized that this was the first interview I actually did this for. My family is very wonderful and I guess they were able to help me prep and relax for this interview very well. Afterwards, my mom had made pho too so it was just the best ever.

God works in mysterious ways. I'm so thankful for everything He's done and given me. Now I will be able to be stress-free about not only having an internship, but having one to a company I like, is located close to my area, and pays an pretty good rate.

Praise Be to You!

SM | Waiting

This is the first post for the social media series. On Instagram I follow daily_bibleverses. They post such wonder things! Today they posted a Lent Devotion that was just perfect and very relatable to me at this time.

" WAITING on God pushes us to seek after him. It is for our good when we wait. Waiting on God strengthens our faith. Wait for God by trusting he will keep his word. Pray while you wait. Don't become impatient or discouraged when you wait; God has perfect timing. Waiting on God will give us more strength than anything else ever could. It takes time to hear God's still small voice. Don't wait to do what you know is right and good. Those who endure and wait on Jesus are those faithful to God. Do not wait in anxiety. Wait with trust and peace. Sometimes God says no or wait because he has something better for us. All we have to do is trust in him and his plan.

Scripture: Lamentations 3:25-26, Romans 8:24-25, Psalm 130:5-6, Psalm 40:1, Psalm 27:14, Proverbs 20:22

#dbvlent2015 "  (https://instagram.com/p/09Zf8LkIj-/) 

I've been on a search for a summer internship for so long and it's really been worrying me. I was finally blessed with getting a second interview at one of the companies. I'm a person who thinks, overthinks, and then overthinks even more. So along the way I've gotten very discouraged and impatient on getting an internship and succeeding in interviews. I've prayed to God to give me strength a few times, but at most, I forget and I try to do it all on my own. This entire week I have just been waiting in anxiety for the outcomes of what will happen at the interview, even after I've prayed for hope and knowledge for a successful interview. I should pray and trust God, waiting in peace and not over-stressing on what may happen. I want this internship so bad, but I shouldn't put my whole heart into it. I don't know what God has planned for me, so I shouldn't set my heart and mind and should be restful without anxiety. For it is God's plan that will lead us to where we are meant to be. 

For me, this is how I applied this post to my life. But I know for many others, they will receive it in a very different way. I hope that in any way you received it, that it gives you hope and courage for those times you are waiting. 

My Favorite of the scriptures attached: 

" For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. " - Romans 8:24-25

" I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
    and in his word I put my hope.
6 I wait for the Lord
    more than watchmen wait for the morning,    more than watchmen wait for the morning." - Psalms 130:5-6

" 14 Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart    and wait for the Lord. " - Psalm 27:14

Thoughts | Look Up

Lately I've been feeling a little stressed and a little down. The stresses of school and life, and down from life and thoughts. Sitting here back at school, I looked up with all my stressfulness and blue thoughts and it suddenly felt alright for just a second. I had to capture the moment.

I realized that whenever I look up, things always feel a little bit more alright. So next time you when you're feeling down, look up. I think about this more now, and maybe it's God. God giving us that little comfort we need to feel alright and get through each day. Maybe that's why He gives us the big never ending beautiful sky. Why trees can grow so tall. Why he made animals that can fly above us. Maybe that's why we are awed by the things above our heads, even things as little as the specks on the ceiling. Maybe just maybe. I don't know if this is just how I feel, or if others can relate. God is here though and everywhere, looking down back at us all.

Next time you're feeling down, look up. No matter where you are.



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Memorize the Word | Deuteronomy 1:17

After the calendar incident happened, it was far more easier for me to memorize Proverbs 3:5-6. I’ve stepped into reading Deuteronomy a few weeks ago and Deuteronomy 1:17 really caught my attention. I’ve made it my next verse to memorize and have been trying since I read it.  

"Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it." Deuteronomy 1:17. 

Let’s break this verse down. So don’t show partiality in judging, this can be so hard. We live in a world that is full of dominant figures and subordinates. In my woman’s course we’ve been talking about how men have always been at the top, taking control of what they can. Many times, I feel that we as people don’t hear out everyone’s opinions. There is the majority and minority and it’s just human nature to listen to what the majority says. It’s human nature to want to fit in. This flows straight into the next part.

Don’t be afraid of anyone or their judgment. With our human nature, it is so hard to do this. I remember in grade school this is what everyone was all caught up on: What people thought of you. I still even struggle with it now. This is one main reason I’ve chosen this verse. I need to overcome the struggle of caring so much of what people think of me and stop not doing things because I don’t think others would think it’s “normal”. This might be odd, but even sometimes when I’m at a Christian event. Sometimes I feel odd about taking out my notebook and taking notes on a sermon because I look around and everyone I see aren’t doing that. This is something that I have been growing out of, but it’s still tough sometimes to just be my whole self everywhere I am.

This brings us to the last part. Bringing any case too hard for you to God. This is the part we can’t forget. Bring your struggles to God. God wants to hear about you and He wants to help you when you are in need. What’s greater is that God wants you to bring it to Him; He wants you to put your trust in Him, knowing that He will help you through your problems. God is so great.

This is why this verse was so appealing to me. It shows the daily struggles, some days may be more of a struggle than others but this verse can be applied daily. At the end, it reminds us to trust in God once again. Trust in His judgment, not mere human judgment. Human days pass, but God is eternity.

Sermons | Our God Hears, Remembers, Looks, and Is Concerned

On Monday night, I joined the large group for one of the Christian organizations on my college campus. Even though I was half an hour late due to downloading Bootcamp onto my MacBook, God gave me a message through the speaker that I needed to hear.

We dug into the story of Moses in Exodus. The speaker, Amy, throughout her message talked about the difference between descriptive and prescriptive. Descriptive describes what is being done and prescriptive is simply telling them what to do. The story of Moses is a descriptive one, he is a flawed character just like most of all of us.

Again, I missed parts of the passage, the big overall message of the night for me was that sometimes we feel like God isn't there at all. It makes us ask where He is because we don't see Him acting in our life some times. Amy mentioned to her family how we were going through Exodus this semester, her grandma said, "God has been with His people for a very long time." This gave me a huge relief, and just an overwhelming sense of comfort.

When the Israelites were suffering and crying out for help in Egypt, "God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them." Exodus 2:24-25.

I love that. God was concerned about them. God looks at all of us. And He remembers us and gets concerned about each one of use. Even in the areas where we feel like He isn't pulling His weight through, God is concerned about us and looks at us. 

The night before, on Sunday, I had forgotten for a bit. This might some pathetic or petty, but I was just going through relationship problems, not feeling loved by my significant other and just confused about if it was all going in the right direction and if this is what God wants me to do (he's claims to be a non-believer). In my distress, I cried out to God, Why God? Where are you? I need you so much. Why did you put him in my life? I wish you could just tell me your plan for me and what I should do with this relationship. I should have known that God was right there though, concerned about me. Later that night after those distressing thoughts, I got a reassuring call from my boyfriend showing and letting me know that he loves me. It made me feel so much better, giving my heart an uplifting feel and forgiving all the reasons I was mad and frustrated. And I'm guessing now that this is part of His plan, but we can never be precisely sure. When I went to sleep that night I hadn't really thought about God giving me that reassuring call because He was concerned and actually looking at me. But hearing the end of Amy's message on Monday night let me know that it was no coincidence. 


Our God: He does hear you, remember you, look at you, and is concerned about and for you. Next time someone is telling you their troubles, I encourage you to encourage them with one of these truths.

My favorite: God looks at us.

Sermons | Trusting a Father's Love for Us

Everyday is full of learning! Earlier today at church I learned more about something I needed to be reminded of. Trusting God with our daily bread, or in other words, our daily needs. A huge part of this in our society today is our financial needs and wants.

Matthew 6:9-13 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’”

Jesus taught us to pray like kids who expect provision from their father, knowing that God will provide just like most little kids know that their father will provide all their needs for them. That is the kind of relationship you should have with our heavenly father. To simply pray for daily bread, or in other words for our needs to be met by our Father and then knowing that he will eventually provide.

Financial management is an important aspect in life, and who you take advice from can go a long way. Take advice from people who are followers of Jesus Christ because then, their prospective will not only be on earthly things, but more of security in heaven. Jesus has a simple financial plan for us, “Daily bread for this life. A storehouse of treasures for the next life”. Jesus sees beyond the grave, and so will His followers. Those who aren’t believers, will not look beyond the grave for your financial needs but more likely have you stockpile your money to save on yourself. Don’t find security in how much money you’ve saved in the bank though. (Matthew 19-21)

If we put our treasures in heaven, we no longer have to live in financial fear. You can be reassured of this from Luke 12:32-34 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourself that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”

A thing we have to know and remember is that we can’t serve two masters. We either will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. We cannot serve both the one true God and the god of men, which in this case, is money in our society. (Matthew 6:24) If you crave so much of serving the god of men, then you will end up despising the one true God.

I love the verse after it. Matthew 6:25 “ Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and body more than clothes?” This reminds us again to pray for what we need, and know that God will provide for us. Worrying is different from planning. Once you realize God will provide for your needs, then financials won’t matter as much. You won’t have to WORRY as much because you will simply be taken care of. This goes with all materialistic things, for which you need money to get. We focus so much on things we don’t have but obsess over wanting them. Another good verse for this is:

Matthew 6:33 - 34 “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

---------------------------------------------

How we’re raised is a lot like how we view God’s love for us. Parent’s may fall short though. All kids know is how to trust, until that trust is broken. It all comes down to trust though, trusting that He will take care of us. I think for me this is really true. I still, at age 21, put so much trust in my dad to take care of me. Though there have been some rough patches in my family, we all have been well for the most part. I feel sad for those who don’t experience the love of parents, especially fathers as much. I could see how it compares to the view of God’s love. It would be a lot harder to understand a father’s love if you never felt it before on earth.

As for financially, I could definitely relate. I will admit that I do get so worried about my bank account some times and about the future of my financials. Especially right before a new semester, I was getting very low on money at the end of winter break and was so excited when my loan reimbursement came in. It’s so worrisome to think about all the college loans I will have to start paying at the end of the year. It puts so much pressure on. The whole direct path of needing to get a good job, needing to pay off my loans ASAP, needing to then move out when I save enough. It makes me so scared, and so worried. But really I should let go and let God. Not meaning that I shouldn’t plan anything, but meaning I should simply worry less  because God will keep my path straight. I really do plan to save my money this year though, spending on less wants and just spending on needs. It’s definitely hard though, I’m a magnet for clearances and sales.

I think the best thing to do is: Constantly remind yourself that it’s not all for you, but all for Him. Put your trust in Him that He will give you your daily bread. Know that He wants to give you the mind of Christ, to give you perfect peace.

Memorize the Word | Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways, submit to Him, and He will make your path straight." -Proverbs 3:5-6

I've been trying to memorize this verse for a while now. It's the first verse that I've been trying to do this with. So I've basically been trying since this past September (2014). I think the reason why I haven't been able to memorize a verse is because of my own faults of not putting enough effort into reading it over and over, and just putting it off to the side. I got this free passage calendar last Thursday from the Wright Tire Service where I had gotten my oil change at. Yesterday when I finally opened it to put it up, guess what verse was for January. Yup, Proverbs 3:5. Irony or fate? For some reason this gave me a bit of hope and encouragement to try even harder to memorize it. I felt like God was subtly speaking to me. I will use this as motivation to allow in my life more alone time with God.

To me, this verse is everything. Trust Him and He will do the rest. We are only human, and everyone will make human mistakes and have human mindsets. But submit to God and He will do what His will is for you. He knows all. I always forget to do this. I'm so caught up with trying to steer my own life, thinking I know so much, that I forget sometimes what God wants. I forget a lot of the time actually. And that's what I want to do this year. Let go, and let God. I tell myself this so many times, but I really am striving for it this year because I know this year will be full of huge changes and I want everything to go correct. I believe for everything to go correct, I need to lean on God with my all because with Him by your side everything is alright. No matter if the changes are good or bad. I hope I can do whatever His will is for me this year.

Do with me what you will, Lord.

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Some 2015 Resolutions

I can tell this year is going to be a big year full of big changes, especially since I will be graduating from college this coming December. I've realized that I really need to start planning and getting organized, which will in the long run help with personal growth in a variety of ways. With that said, I am very excited for this new year!

Goals/Resolutions for my faith and personal growth:
1) Read 10 books
     - Not only read, but study and understand. I've noticed that as the years have passed, I have slowly slowed down on reading my Bible. This is something I really want to start again with and keep with it, making it a habit and a love that keeps me going. I need to stop thinking that I don't have time for it. That has definitely become a bad habit and taken over my ability to grow. Time isn't long enough to pass things as important as keeping up with your faith.
2) Memorize at least 10 Bible verses
     - What we know about God comes from the Bible. Therefore, the Bible is what we should reference and strive to know. This is the reason why I have made it a goal to memorize at least 10 Bible verses by the end of this year. I was definitely not gifted with great memorization skills, so I figured 10 is very do-able. I believe that by memorizing scripture, it will help keep the Lord in mind through daily life events, tell others about God, and increase our knowledge of the Word and of God.
3) Becoming more open, along with openly sharing my faith
     - I feel like this is a part of life that I really struggle with and I would love to improve on it. I've always been very closed off, keeping a lot to myself and feeling nervous about sharing my thoughts and feelings because what the consequences might be. This year I hope to step out of my comfort zone and share more with others. Along with this, it will help in building better and stronger relationships with those around me.

Let me know your thoughts or any resolutions you would like to share!

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