Thursday, April 30, 2009
Placing Our Livelihood In God's Hands
We've talked about the widow giving all she had to God. She literally placed her life in God's hands (Amazing!). What would it look like if we followed her example if we placed our life into God's hands! I'm confident that God will bless us richly but are you willing to trust God in the big things? He's extremely reliable but are you willing to rely on Him?
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Generosity
Generosity...Thats one I could work on. Its not tithing (giving a tenth of your earnings) but giving extra. In Luke 21:1-4 there's a story when Jesus and his disciples are at the temple watching people tithe and it says. As He looked up Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. "I tell you the truth" He said, "This poor widow has put more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."
Generous? I think so. In a way she was trusting God to take care of her. Even though many other people gave a larger sum She gave more because she didn't just give a tenth of what she had. She gave ALL of what she had. Thats whats so hard for me; I have so many things I want to buy or save up for but what would it look like if we gave all of our earnings for once? If we gave everything we had to God?!
Generous? I think so. In a way she was trusting God to take care of her. Even though many other people gave a larger sum She gave more because she didn't just give a tenth of what she had. She gave ALL of what she had. Thats whats so hard for me; I have so many things I want to buy or save up for but what would it look like if we gave all of our earnings for once? If we gave everything we had to God?!
Letting God Work Through Us
Well I finally got a post idea. Its letting God work through us.
When Jesus called the disciples to follow Him they were lowly sinners in the Jewish society not a Rabbi. They were humble Fisherman or worse off Tax collectors (who were viewed as really bad sinners). Before I continue I'm going to describe what it normally takes to become a disciple.
There are three stages of school that a disciple would go through. first there was school for mostly everyone from about age 5-8 and they would have to memorize the Torah the Torah is the first five books of the bible thats Genesis, Exedous, Levitcus, Numbers, and Deuteronemy. Thats roughly 280 pages of the bible by heart they were like a living Torah. Then there was the second stagewhich was from about ages 9-14 now there were not as many students because by then some of them were learning the family trade. (I might not have the ages correct but they're close) and after this period the students would have the entire Old Testament by heart. Thats about 2,000 pages. (a living Old Testament!) Following that there was a third stage and by then most of the students were off learning their trade...but...the best of the best of the best would go on to fond a Rabbi that they wanted to be like. Then when a Rabbi would come into town that they wished to follow they would go to the Teacher and ask to be their disciple. Then the Rabbi would just drill him with questions and if the Rabbi thought this guys good...but he doesn't have what it takes to follow me. Then the Rabbi would say to him you're good but you don't have what it takes to follow me. So the student would try to find another Rabbi or begin learning the family trade. But if the Rabbi thought, "This guys got it!" then he would say, "Come follow me," This is what it means to be a disciple
Now Jesus' disciples probably only went through the first stage of education so for Jesus to say "Come follow me" is HUGE but the reason He did it was because God works through the humble people that are open to what God has for them much more than the proud who've got it going and think they don't need Him. We need to be willing to let God work in us for his greater purpose, we need to do the big and little things that goes against the grain that he wants us to do. Lets try to do that!
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Finding The Greater Porpose In The Bad Things That Happen
This is one of my friends recent happenings she made the whole post and I didn't have to do anything so here you go!
Every Sunday for the past two months, I have been going to mission training. We were going to go to San Francisco/Oakland area to do some mission work, like working at a local food shelf and tell people along the streets our testimony. I was super excited. I packed, un-packed, and re-packed like three times. I triple questioned everything i was bringing. I went shopping for clothes and other random things for the trip. My friend and I were always texting and emailing each other a count down for how many days. It was going to be a cool trip, full of new friendships, fun, and most importantly a chance to get closer to God. I was positive that this was finally a thing that wouldn't go beserk on me. You see, ever since finishing 7th grade, nothing has gone the way it has been planed. Summer '08 was supposed to be a fun summer full of friends, family and amazing oppurtunities to go new places. Instead it was a frantic summer where everyone was over stressed. We were trying to fix up and stage our house to get it on the market. for the first time ever i was moving. I wanted a change in secenery, but after 6 months of being homeless... well i wasn't really liking it. I hadn't met that many friends. I'm currently living in an apartment and so i don't have a neighborhood to meet new friends in. I'm homeschooled and we don't go to homeschool meetings so i have no friends at school. The only chance to meet friends was at church. Since i have been traveling back and forth to Minnesota, i haven't really had a chance to meet that many people at church. So this trip was going to be big. It was a chance to meet new people. Throughout mission training i was hanging with some girls, that now are my friends, so i guess good came out of that. but the day before the trip i didn't feel good. My whole family had been takeing turns being sick with influenza for the past month, and i hadn't caught it yet. That morning when i wasn't feeling good, i figured it was because i was carsick from riding in the car all day yesterday (we were looking at houses once again). In the back of my head i knew that i wasn't going to get to leave with the group the next day, but i didn't want to accept it. That night around seven my parents told me that i would not be able to leave the next day. I was to sick. They said that i might be able to go around Wedsnday, but we would have to just see. Throughout the next few days i suffered through stages of weakness and very high fevers. If i ate half a piece of toast that day my mom would be happy. When it was Thursday, i sorta gave up the idea of joining the group. I was mad that i was missing this great oppurtunity, but i knew that there was a reason. A week ago, at training, i had just admitied that i was a control freak, and needed to have a plan for everything. Thats why my favorite verse is Jerimiah 29:11-14, "For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope, and a future. So come and call and pray to me, and i will listen to you. When you seek me, you find me, when you seek me with your heart. And i will be found by you.' Declares the Lord." I needed to find the reason that i didn't get to go. I figured that going on the trip would be the thing God wanted me to do, considering it would benifit him. I guess he was just trying to teach me a lesson. I think he was trying to get me to fully give him the driver's seat and not worry about what is going to happen tomrrow, or how i'm going to do what i'm going to do. I needed to learn to trust. It's hard for me, not to have control over my life, Not to know what is going to happen, but it's a requirement for life. It always has been and always will be.
I'm going to add to that too (although I couldn't beat it!)
My dad and I had been seaching for a bike for about a month. We made a trip to target one day and we went to the bike section. When we arrived there I saw about five awesome bikes that looked like they fit me. I wanted them so bad but they cost from $175 to $250 and I knew my parents wanted to get me a used one for $100 or less. We figured out what size I was and took that information and looked on craigs list. after a few days my neighbors started to get their bikes out and we began to go off jumps that I had in my garage. I kept having to borrow bikes for like a week. It was so annoying and I was fed up with it. I just wanted to go to target and get one of the cool schwins. My dad kept looking and he found a couple... but they were the wrong color (bright red or light blue) for one and I got more annoyed. towards the end of the week he found one that he thought might work for me. (I wasn't so sure) but on Saturday he picked it up and on sunday morning I saw it! It was AWESOME cannondale and it was $1,000 new! That pretty much sums it up if I would've got a new bike in the store I would've missed out on this amasing bike that I would've never gotter otherwise!
Hope you guys liked it!
Every Sunday for the past two months, I have been going to mission training. We were going to go to San Francisco/Oakland area to do some mission work, like working at a local food shelf and tell people along the streets our testimony. I was super excited. I packed, un-packed, and re-packed like three times. I triple questioned everything i was bringing. I went shopping for clothes and other random things for the trip. My friend and I were always texting and emailing each other a count down for how many days. It was going to be a cool trip, full of new friendships, fun, and most importantly a chance to get closer to God. I was positive that this was finally a thing that wouldn't go beserk on me. You see, ever since finishing 7th grade, nothing has gone the way it has been planed. Summer '08 was supposed to be a fun summer full of friends, family and amazing oppurtunities to go new places. Instead it was a frantic summer where everyone was over stressed. We were trying to fix up and stage our house to get it on the market. for the first time ever i was moving. I wanted a change in secenery, but after 6 months of being homeless... well i wasn't really liking it. I hadn't met that many friends. I'm currently living in an apartment and so i don't have a neighborhood to meet new friends in. I'm homeschooled and we don't go to homeschool meetings so i have no friends at school. The only chance to meet friends was at church. Since i have been traveling back and forth to Minnesota, i haven't really had a chance to meet that many people at church. So this trip was going to be big. It was a chance to meet new people. Throughout mission training i was hanging with some girls, that now are my friends, so i guess good came out of that. but the day before the trip i didn't feel good. My whole family had been takeing turns being sick with influenza for the past month, and i hadn't caught it yet. That morning when i wasn't feeling good, i figured it was because i was carsick from riding in the car all day yesterday (we were looking at houses once again). In the back of my head i knew that i wasn't going to get to leave with the group the next day, but i didn't want to accept it. That night around seven my parents told me that i would not be able to leave the next day. I was to sick. They said that i might be able to go around Wedsnday, but we would have to just see. Throughout the next few days i suffered through stages of weakness and very high fevers. If i ate half a piece of toast that day my mom would be happy. When it was Thursday, i sorta gave up the idea of joining the group. I was mad that i was missing this great oppurtunity, but i knew that there was a reason. A week ago, at training, i had just admitied that i was a control freak, and needed to have a plan for everything. Thats why my favorite verse is Jerimiah 29:11-14, "For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope, and a future. So come and call and pray to me, and i will listen to you. When you seek me, you find me, when you seek me with your heart. And i will be found by you.' Declares the Lord." I needed to find the reason that i didn't get to go. I figured that going on the trip would be the thing God wanted me to do, considering it would benifit him. I guess he was just trying to teach me a lesson. I think he was trying to get me to fully give him the driver's seat and not worry about what is going to happen tomrrow, or how i'm going to do what i'm going to do. I needed to learn to trust. It's hard for me, not to have control over my life, Not to know what is going to happen, but it's a requirement for life. It always has been and always will be.
I'm going to add to that too (although I couldn't beat it!)
My dad and I had been seaching for a bike for about a month. We made a trip to target one day and we went to the bike section. When we arrived there I saw about five awesome bikes that looked like they fit me. I wanted them so bad but they cost from $175 to $250 and I knew my parents wanted to get me a used one for $100 or less. We figured out what size I was and took that information and looked on craigs list. after a few days my neighbors started to get their bikes out and we began to go off jumps that I had in my garage. I kept having to borrow bikes for like a week. It was so annoying and I was fed up with it. I just wanted to go to target and get one of the cool schwins. My dad kept looking and he found a couple... but they were the wrong color (bright red or light blue) for one and I got more annoyed. towards the end of the week he found one that he thought might work for me. (I wasn't so sure) but on Saturday he picked it up and on sunday morning I saw it! It was AWESOME cannondale and it was $1,000 new! That pretty much sums it up if I would've got a new bike in the store I would've missed out on this amasing bike that I would've never gotter otherwise!
Hope you guys liked it!
Friday, April 24, 2009
Who are Our Enemies?
Thanks for all the comments!! I'm encouraged! By the way if you like the blog tell your friends about it too. Who knows maybe they'll get something out if it!? This topic is about loving your enemies. Like Josh said in his comment. I think most of us have a problem with loving our enemies. First I'll define enemy from a thesarus it says stuff like bad person, bandit and betrayer. Do you think these defenitions are true... is it exactly what it means? About a year ago my family and I were checking out some churches. So we went to one of the churches we were thinking of attending. I remember the person delivering the sermon asked the closing question, "What if our enemies aren't who we hate but who thinks that we hate them?" Whoa what in the world thats the craziest thing on earth! Right? Well thats what I thought at first but after I thought about it for a while it started to make sense. The people who think we hate them need to know that we do love them and the bad people need to know that we along with Jesus love them too! Although both defenitions are true I think we need to show kindness to the people who think we hate them along with the bad people the bandits and the betrayers.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Maybe I'm Just Stupid
Okay so maybe I'm the only one who has that feeling. Maybe its just me who's stupid enough to please my friends instead of God but I'm working on it! Rebakah's friend seems to have it! She told me about a kid in her class named Jenna who is one of the most popular girls. Everyone likes her-why? Because she is different. She stands and sings in church, she doesn't care what people think—and the most popular girls in the class hang out with her, even when they don’t talk to anybody else. She told me, "Who knows? Maybe the kids you sit next to won't think you're un-cool. Maybe they'll respect you for it, and stand with you." What do you struggle with in your walk with the Lord?? Something daily that you know you need to change to become a better believer in Christ Email it to me and I'll post it so we can all comment about it and help you solve it!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Big And Little Decisions For God
Okay guys I was thinking. I just can't seem to go against the grain for God when I think I'll lose my status with friends. Just this morning at church for worship me and some of my friends were sitting and I just kinda felt like God wanted me to stand. I thought I would look uncool in front of my friends though, so I didn't. I regret it now but thats now, not when it really mattered. Why is it so hard to make those key decisions for God!?
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Discussion Topics
Guys and Girls I need some discussion topics so if you guys could email me some-maybe an experience you've had that taught you something or just a question you have and I'll publish most of them so everyone can discuss it on the blog.
The Reason for Travels of A Teen
Okay so I've been messing around for hours on this thing figuring out how to blog and stuff and its AWESOME!!!!!!!! you're probably wondering why I named my blog "Travels of A Teen." Well because I want opinions from other teens about God and just life in general. I'm going to share experiences on my blog and maybe ask some questions to start a duscussion. Then I'll let you guys comment and discuss the topic. You can also e-mail me at godisgood55@gmail.com and give me some of your experiences to share on the blog as well!
Hunter
Hunter
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