He will come near to you...

So, many times I've heard people saying that they do not go to church or pray any longer because they are sinner and that God must be angry with them for all they have done. The truth is that Church is for people that need help, bringing more non-christians to save them. To me a church is like a hospital, Healthy people that are doing great do not go to hospitals, Only the sick people that need special attention go to hospitals. The ones that are healthy are there to help those who need to get well. So the people that feel like sinners and are not clean in their hearts and thoughts, are the ones that need to pray and go to Church. God will only go to them if they seek him. When I sin and feel "filthy" I know that God is the only one that can clean me and care for me. That is only if I come to Him! Then He will come to me. Like it says in James 4:8. I want to make sure that I am not walking away from God in any way, to not get distracted with things that are not as important. God is not going anywhere, it is us that move away or closer to Him. 

People and the Word.

Today I found 1 Peter 1:24-25 super interesting. Yesterday I wrote about the word of God and how it is alive and active. Today this verse had to do with the word of God again. This verse compares people to the word of God. It says that "all people are like grass, and all their glory is like flowers of the field. The grass withers, and the flowers fall." but then it goes on to say "But the word of the Lord endures forever." I loved this analogy of the grass and the flowers. I see this verse as a reminder that we cannot just put our trust on what people say, but on the word of God. God knows us better than anyone and he has a purpose for us. As a teenager I trust my best friends a lot and friends come and go, but God and his word will always be there for me. When asking for advice it is good to ask people that you know are wise, but the word of the Lord endures forever. God was, is , and will always be the same, he is the best advisor to have and to count on. I want to recognize the word of God as alive, active, and long lasting. Again, I want to keep putting it to practice.

The word of God.

Today I want to focus on Hebrews 4:12. This verse is pretty strong and talks about the word of God. People usually see Christians using the Bible as a rule book and not more than that. The Bible though is not just a book like any other book. First of all it was inspired by God and everything in it is like a guide to be better here in the world and to be more like Christ. 

Hebrews 4:12 even says that the word of God is active and alive! It is not just writing in papers, it has life and we see it work around us everyday, it is active. Everything in it has an effect on our lives if we read it. It is edifying to our souls,and spirits. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts. 

Since it is sharper than a double-edged sword it digs deep in us. If we just read it and do not put it into practice then we are not really doing anything. If we read it and put it in to practice then it serves a purpose in us and gives us life. I want to read the word of God and put it into practice. I want it to be alive and active in me, and to be my guide in life. 

It is more blessed...

Today I decided to focus on Acts 20:35. This verse talks about how it is better to help the weak and how Jesus said that it was better to give than to receive. He says that "...It is more blessed to give than to receive." My parents have always told me this too. If we give to the less fortunate then the Lord will give us back, but we do not have to be expecting things back from people. If we give, we have to give with the right heart and a correct attitude before God. If we are giving with the wrong mindset then we are not serving the purpose that God had for us. The more we give, the more we will receive. Even if we do not receive material things, or things here on earth, God is preparing things for us in heaven. If we have the chance to give because we are blessed we have to share with others if it is in our hearts. Giving might not just be necessarily material things or money, it may also be sharing our spiritual gifts with others. I want to get better at giving because I am usually pretty demanding hehe. I want to make giving part of my life, when I have a job I can help with material things. From now I can start already sharing what God puts in my heart.

Anxious and Tired?

My strength is not enough, I know that. For some reason I try to keep doing things my way and it is tiring and stressful. Philippians 4 makes many points of course, but i want to mention 2 points. One of the points being - Do not be anxious about anything and  -I can do all. These two points just like this seem impossible. Not being anxious when I'm in my senior year and having to deal with decisions and my future is so hard. I try to relax and not be anxious, but those things are always on my mind. The second point which is that I can do all is also complicated for me. I try to do things, but sometimes I get tired and do not actually finish them. Well, in Philippians we get the second part of those points which make them possible. For the first point, not being anxious, what will help not to be anxious is in verse 6, presenting all our worries, and every petition to God in thanksgiving. When you give your burdens to God, you feel like a huge weight has been lifted off your shoulders. The second point in doing all, with our own strength as I was saying before is never enough. We cannot do everything on our own strength. The second part of this point is "through Him who gives me strength." We might not be able to do all, but God gives us strength and renews us. Through God we can do anything, all things. Nothing is impossible.

The Armor of God!

I've always read this part of the Bible that talks about the armor of God and thought it was the coolest thing! It says that to be prep(Ephesians 6: 10-20)ared against the devil's schemes of the evil of the world we have to put on the FULL armor . This does not say put on the parts that you like and forget the ones you do not like. Many of the times I've felt that they keep telling me about the armor of God, about having faith,praying, the truth, righteousness, peace, salvation, and the word of God and sometimes I've been getting bored of the same "to-do" list to be a "good follower of Christ". Now I understand that, that cannot be boring to me because it is what I need to live a life according to God's will. It is like when a soldier is at war and the commander tells him to go get his gun and prepare for defending. Of course the solider cant say "im bored of guns!" because there is no other way he can defend himself. That is how the armor of God should be with us. It is our weapon to attack the devil and his schemes. At the end of this section it talks about praying a lot! There is power in prayer, and with our armor and prayer we can conquer in the Lord.  

Parents...

So when it comes to parents I think of wisdom, love, respect, and happiness. My parents are the best, I would not change them for anything. I have been studying Ephesians 6:1

and it talks about obeying your parents in the Lord and honoring them. Before I used to read this verse not really thinking about the difference between honor and just obeying. But now that I do think about it, it is not the same at all. Honoring is more what we do of our own desire to please our parents and serving them. We can obey with the worst attitude and of course that does not honor our parents. I always think about an example, if a little kid is jumping up and down and his parents tell him to sit, he might be really angry and may sit down with the worst attitude. He did obey his parents by sitting down, but he is not honoring them because even if he is seated down, in his mind he is still standing up and jumping around. We have to obey in the Lord, not in a bad attitude and do it because it is right. And we have to honor them because we will do well in life and live longer. :) You are never too old to obey and honor your parents. They have been taking care of you since you were a baby, you should now give them back to be thankful and to honor God as well. :)

Isaiah 55: 8-9

Today I read Isaiah 55. In this entry i mainly want to focus on verses 8-9. These verses say

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

This is something I have always struggles with, I always think I have things figured out and that I know how to deal with everything. The truth is, the way I think is limited in comparison to God's way of thinking. God is the same since the beginning, now, and forever. He knows the big picture and how things will result in the end. I do not know how things will affect me in the long run as well as he does. This is why I should just think for myself, but pray and ask him to do his will in me. His thoughts are higher than my thoughts and are not my thoughts. He knows better. If I think something is good for me, God know something a billion times better than that. His ways are higher than my ways. He created me for a purpose and is preparing me for big things. I should not just rely on my ways, but let God guide me through his ways. I can let God guide me through his ways and understand his thoughts by seeking him. The more I seek him, the more I find him and come closer to him. This way, I can understand his plan for me and walk accordingly to what he wants for my life. In his thoughts and his ways, not mine.