Many people don't realize this but God wants us to do crazy things. No, this doesn't mean he wants you to go and jump off a cliff or go running with the bulls. What I mean here is that God wants us to get out of our comfort zone and do things for his purpose. Reading through the Bible do you remember the characters who did mediocre, normal things? No! You remember people who did extraordinary crazy things! David fought a giant with slingshot and three stones. Then he cut Goliaths head off. Esther went into the king's court and risked execution so that she could save the Israelites from persecution. Naomi left her whole family and her homeland to take care of her widowed mother-in-law instead of going back home to the comfort of her family. Jesus healed the sick, the blind, the cripple, the hurting and the broken. Jesus and his disciples raised people from the dead, and Jesus turned water into wine. The list goes on and on. With the exception of Jesus, all of these people were ordinary every day people. What made them different is that the put aside their self consciousness, their pride and their hesitancy and went for it. They did crazy things because God asked them to. They obeyed God's instructions and through him, they thrived. They changed lives! Don't you want to be one of those life changers? I know I want to be one. I want to see people being healed and restored. I want to be a part of that.
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This will be short today but I want to explain how important it is to read all of the Bible and not just the New Testament.
As I start off my second semester of my freshman year of college, I have started to read Genesis and Psalms for my Old Testament class. In the last week, I have read the first 26 chapters of Genesis. I have found that many times people don't want to read the Old Testament because maybe it seems like it is just useless stories. We read the stories but we don't look at the main being behind the stories. We don't always think about what God is trying to tell us with these stories. It's like this: when you look at a box, you know it is a box. You can see the box, touch the box, lift the box, but if you never open the box, you will never know what is in the box. It is the same with the stories of the Old Testament. If we never dive into the story more than just looking at the surface, it is hard to find the characteristics of God that he has inserted into every piece of the Bible. I would love to be able to delve into every story and pull out the characteristics of God and the messages he wants us to hear, but honestly, as a college student, I don't exactly have time to do that! Two weeks ago I was talking to my oldest sister and out of the blue she said, “You know what drives me crazy?!” I said what and she continued. “It drives me nuts when people hand out new testament Bibles to new believers.” This made me stop for a second and I thought to myself. “Why is that so bad? Isn't it good to give people Bibles?” What she said next made me understand completely. “If all they get is the part about Jesus coming back to give us salvation and not the part that explains why then need Jesus then what good does that do.” Really though, if you only give them the answer, but not the question, it only confuses people more. You can compare it to the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. The people build a super computer to tell them what “The Answer” is. The Computer tells them to come back in 7 million years (or something like that) and when they return the computer says “The answer is 42.” “42?” they say, “What kind of answer is 42” “Well,” the computer replies, “It would have been awfully helpful if you would told me what the question is.” It is exactly like that! If we go up to someone and say “Tacos” and you don't tell them anything else, they are going to go “HUH?” The question could have been, what do you want for dinner, or what is your favorite food, or even what does taco bell sell (Haha tacos duh). But the point is, is that if they don't know what the question is, people won't understand the answer you give them. So, in order to determine the reason for Jesus, we need to look through the Old Testament. We need to delve deep into the stories and look at the characteristics of God so that we can all have a better understanding of God and why he sent his son to save us. I hope this all makes sense, and if something doesn't, let me know and I will try to sort things out for you! I hope you have a wonderful week! Be safe and stay warm this winter! This Dark World
Day by day I see this world growing closer and closer to its end. I see people throwing away the rules that protect them, the ideals that keep them pure. I see people pushing God into the background, putting up walls around them to keep the people that care most about them out. I see movies, books, magazines, tv shows, that tell people that drinking, drugs, premarital sex, lying, cheating, stealing, idolatry, are all ok. I see the devastation in peoples lives around me because they are missing the sole thing that fills the space. And there's nothing I can do about it. People are blinded by all the THINGS around them. Too absorbed with themselves, their latest boyfriend or girlfriend, sports, video-games, hobbies, sleep even. All too busy to notice God standing next to them reaching out. Calling their names. All they see is the heartache the suffer, the problems they face. But if only they set that aside and turned to their left, their right, behind them, or even look up, they would see God all around them trying to tell them that if they stop trying to solve their own problems, he would already have them fixed. That's just one of the many promises he has for us. He answers us when we ask, but its not always the expected yes. Many times its “Not yet” or “I have something better for you.” But as the world sees it, if we don't get what we want, when we want it, as soon as we ask for it, then God must not be listening, right? Wrong. He's listening and he's speaking. He's shouting from the mountains, the valleys, the skyscrapers and the heavens! He's whispering from the towns, the cities, the fields and the plains. “I love you my child! Come to me! I want you to let go and let me. Let me take your sins away from you. Every single one of them. I will throw them so far away that I won't even remember them. Let me guide you when you feel lost. I made this world, surely I can help you find your way. Let me carry you when you are weary. I formed you with my own two hands, surely I can carry you a ways. Let me hold the burden you carry. I carried a cross up the hill to the place I died before I rose again. I think I can handle your burden. Allow me, my child. I'm here... I'm here...I'm here.” Hey everyone! This is my first post on my new blog, Christian Teen Perspectives. I would love to hear your input but please keep it positive. If you have any questions, feel free to comment or email me. I am open to hearing your feedback. I am writing this because as a teenager, I know how many people in the world, Christian or not, feel lost and don't know how to handle the problems that they face. I go through all the same problems and I want to share what God has told me and shown me throughout my teenage years. I want teens and others to know how much God loves them and how he helps us everyday. There is so much I want to talk about, to share with those around me so that they may have the hope that I do. If there are any topics that you specifically want me to talk about then let me know, Thanks guys!
Sarah |