HI!
It's been a long time. A very, very long time. As much as I've wanted to share everything that God has been doing in my life with you all, it's been difficult to find the time to go to school and use the internet since I have decided not to get internet at home and my laptop is currently broken! Wah. But this time away from the internet and all of it's wonderful distractions has been good for me. It has given me so much more time to spend with our Heavenly Father and I have really been enjoying and appreciating the silence that lack of technology gives me. I will write when I have time/feel like it! (Hopefully that isn't too infrequent)
God has been speaking to me daily, and I wish I could share every single day with you all, but unfortunately, my fingers get tired very quickly. So I will just share with you what God has spoken to me today!
Recently, I have been reading through the Old Testament. In the last couple of days, I have been reading through Leviticus. I don't know about you guys, but nearing the end of Exodus, I was already getting tired. With all of the specifics about how to build things, what colours to use, etc. And then Leviticus with all of the specifics on making sacrifices. It was just an overwhelming amount of information that I quite honestly didn't care about.
Just as I was getting super exhausted (and counting down how many more chapters of Leviticus were remaining) I read this beautiful verse. "For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy." (Leviticus 11:45)
These many, many chapters in Leviticus of God speaking to Moses and the Israelites about the specific details of sacrifices finally made sense. Yes, there was a lot. Yes, the details were ridiculously specific. Yes, there are a lot of animals the Israelites were not allowed to eat. But all of these tiny details made me realize one thing. God is holy. So, so holy. And we, as his people and his children, are called to be holy as well!
Holiness appears to be a huge theme in Leviticus. And it carries on to be quoted in the New Testament by Peter who says, "As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." (1 Peter 1:14-16) As Christians, we are called to be different from those who don't believe. I'm sure you all realize this, or have heard this at least, but how are we called to be different?
In Ephesians 2:1-2 it says, "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience."
There is the difference.
Those who are unbelievers are the children of disobedience, while we who believe are children of obedience. We are called to be holy just as God is holy. No longer are we the ignorant unbelievers we once were, but now we know. We know we are children of God. Called to be imitators of God. Through him, we have been made new!
It's a lot of pressure. As I think of the many things God has been convicting me of recently, I feel a bit nervous. But God is good and he is faithful. And he says, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:2) As we thrive to be holy just as our Father is holy, he is glorified through us! We are children, made in his image.
Later on in Chapter 19 of Leviticus, there is one phrase that is repeated. God says over, and over, and over again, "I am the Lord your God."
He is MY Lord. My God.
He is YOUR Lord. YOUR God.
Isn't that crazy and wonderful? As I read that phrase every time it appeared, it gave me chills. The Lord God has called us as his children, and because he is OUR God, we should be holy just as he is holy. Being holy to the extent that he is holy is impossible, for "there is no one holy like the Lord" (1 Samuel 2:2) but, we are still able to pursue holiness, and we should!
Often I think of how powerful our God is and it amazes me how he loves us and showers us with grace and mercy. Even as I write this, my heart pounds more quickly as I think of how God has chosen us to be his children. Holy, as he is holy. It's not an easy path to take, and we all slip and fall. But God is faithful. God is good. And he is constantly guiding us down this path and lifting us back up every time we hit the ground. He has also given us each other, to encourage one another to continue this pursuit of holiness!
Ah, how good it feels to share and learn with you all once again.
Hopefully, there will be many more times like this!
- kjoosaurus out!
Showing posts with label Holy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holy. Show all posts
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Hungry for Him [9/26/2012]
Hello all~
Wow, it sure has been a while since I've last written anything! And this is the first time I've written something at 6 in the morning! Holy moly, I hope what I say makes sense. I just had my first meal after fasting, and although it feels sooo good to be full, from kalbi, kimchi jigae, bap and japchae hehe, it feels even better to know that God revealed something amazing to me. Well, he revealed more than one thing to me.
Fasting... It's tough! I've never fasted for such a long time. Last night, I was so HUNGRY and so EXCITED about my next meal that I didn't fall asleep until 2 or 3 in the morning, and then of course because I was still hungry, I woke up at 5:30 in the morning. I was salivating like crazy when I woke up. But, as I was eating, I realized I was still hungry. I had eaten all of that food, but there was something more I wanted, something I craved! So, naturally, I brought out my beautiful bible :)
I felt like I needed to read the book of John. There was this little internal argument going on in my head hehe. One part of me was saying, "You've already read this! You don't need to read it again. This would be your third time!" While another part of me was saying, "REAAAAD ITTTTT NOWWW."
So, I read it.
The part I opened to was John 4:34-38.
34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”
What was I truly hungry for? I was hungry to do the will of God. I was hungry for more of Him, and God showed me and reminded me that the hunger I have for food was nothing in comparison to the hunger I have for his will. I will never be satisfied by the food I eat; I will always crave more and more and more and in the end, I will never be full. But the Lord is faithful, and when I am hungry for him, and when I search for him, he will fill my cup until it is overflowing.
Not only was I reminded of how much I need Him, but I was also reminded of his great love for me - for us!
Last night, as I was so hungry and so tired (yet not sleeping), I was put in a position that I would never wish to be in. It was a sense of betrayal from somebody I had cared so much about, and I was angry. Super, super angry. I went on a rampage, and became a destructive ball of anger. I called out to God, and I asked Him to help me! I felt so lost, and alone.. Betrayed and abandoned. Normally, when I pray and ask God to help me, there is nothing but silence. This time, things were different. I was reminded of how God cares so much for us, and how he doesn't want us to hurt! Yes, he does discipline us, but the pain and the challenge won't last forever.
I love this passage... It shows the true power and strength of our Lord, Jesus Christ. He is the Almighty God, and our faithful father! Last night, in a time of hardship, he provided me with more than what I needed. He surrounded me with love, and he reminded me of how he loves us. He helped me forgive somebody who had hurt me in the past, and it is a beautiful feeling! Forgiveness is amazing. I'm not sure about you, but I find it so difficult. Just thinking about the people who have hurt me, and the way they have hurt me, I never want to forgive them, but as we pray and pray, the Lord blesses us with a forgiving heart, does he not? Of course, I haven't forgiven everybody yet, but the day is coming :) He is still by my side, he is still loving me, and he is still surrounding me.
Psalms 18 really encourages and reminds me of how great, loving and powerful he is! I hope it encourages you as well. May we always remember the grace he has shown us, and the power of his love for us! For we would be empty, broken, and lost if we did not have Him.
We love you, Lord!
- kjoosaurus out!
Wow, it sure has been a while since I've last written anything! And this is the first time I've written something at 6 in the morning! Holy moly, I hope what I say makes sense. I just had my first meal after fasting, and although it feels sooo good to be full, from kalbi, kimchi jigae, bap and japchae hehe, it feels even better to know that God revealed something amazing to me. Well, he revealed more than one thing to me.
Fasting... It's tough! I've never fasted for such a long time. Last night, I was so HUNGRY and so EXCITED about my next meal that I didn't fall asleep until 2 or 3 in the morning, and then of course because I was still hungry, I woke up at 5:30 in the morning. I was salivating like crazy when I woke up. But, as I was eating, I realized I was still hungry. I had eaten all of that food, but there was something more I wanted, something I craved! So, naturally, I brought out my beautiful bible :)
I felt like I needed to read the book of John. There was this little internal argument going on in my head hehe. One part of me was saying, "You've already read this! You don't need to read it again. This would be your third time!" While another part of me was saying, "REAAAAD ITTTTT NOWWW."
So, I read it.
The part I opened to was John 4:34-38.
34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”
What was I truly hungry for? I was hungry to do the will of God. I was hungry for more of Him, and God showed me and reminded me that the hunger I have for food was nothing in comparison to the hunger I have for his will. I will never be satisfied by the food I eat; I will always crave more and more and more and in the end, I will never be full. But the Lord is faithful, and when I am hungry for him, and when I search for him, he will fill my cup until it is overflowing.
Not only was I reminded of how much I need Him, but I was also reminded of his great love for me - for us!
Last night, as I was so hungry and so tired (yet not sleeping), I was put in a position that I would never wish to be in. It was a sense of betrayal from somebody I had cared so much about, and I was angry. Super, super angry. I went on a rampage, and became a destructive ball of anger. I called out to God, and I asked Him to help me! I felt so lost, and alone.. Betrayed and abandoned. Normally, when I pray and ask God to help me, there is nothing but silence. This time, things were different. I was reminded of how God cares so much for us, and how he doesn't want us to hurt! Yes, he does discipline us, but the pain and the challenge won't last forever.
Psalm 18:16-19
New International Version (NIV)
16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.
he drew me out of deep waters.
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.
I love this passage... It shows the true power and strength of our Lord, Jesus Christ. He is the Almighty God, and our faithful father! Last night, in a time of hardship, he provided me with more than what I needed. He surrounded me with love, and he reminded me of how he loves us. He helped me forgive somebody who had hurt me in the past, and it is a beautiful feeling! Forgiveness is amazing. I'm not sure about you, but I find it so difficult. Just thinking about the people who have hurt me, and the way they have hurt me, I never want to forgive them, but as we pray and pray, the Lord blesses us with a forgiving heart, does he not? Of course, I haven't forgiven everybody yet, but the day is coming :) He is still by my side, he is still loving me, and he is still surrounding me.
Psalms 18 really encourages and reminds me of how great, loving and powerful he is! I hope it encourages you as well. May we always remember the grace he has shown us, and the power of his love for us! For we would be empty, broken, and lost if we did not have Him.
We love you, Lord!
- kjoosaurus out!
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