Amazing Grace

You've probably sang or heard the song "Amazing Grace" before, but have you ever really put thought into what it means? I never did until recently. 

God loves us more than we can ever imagine. Just like many of us, he has a "love language". We may be lost in a storm that seems like it will never pass, or we may be in the midst of just slightly difficult times. No matter where we are, God is ready to intervene. His "love language" is his Amazing Grace. His grace leads us to intimacy with Him.

His grace is extended to us at all times. We don't ever have to go looking for it, because it is looking for us. In fact, grace will find you whenever God sees fit. You may not be ready to embrace it, but it will always be there, waiting for you. But what does -Grace- really mean? Grace is an unmerited, divine, gift given to us by God to renew our lives. We can do nothing to earn his grace, and since we can't earn it, we can't do anything to not deserve his grace. Some may think that they can become unworthy of God's love and grace, But when were we ever worthy? We weren't. We could never be worthy of all the blessings God gives to us. But that's what is amazing about God. He loves us unconditionally. He knows what we have done in our past and he knows what's to come. He loved us then, he loves us now, and he will love us in the future. 

Embracing God's grace is the key to transforming ourselves to become like minded with Christ, and becoming who God wants us to be. To embrace it, we have to experience it, much like Paul, who experienced God's grace as he was on his way to persecute Christians, when God appeared to him and changed his life. The story of Paul, to me, is the greatest example of God's grace in the Bible. Paul, who wrote most of the New Testament in the Bible, wasn't always the great man of God that he came to be. He was once known as Saul, a man who persecuted Christians. If Paul was able to be transformed and saved by God's amazing grace, then so can we. We must always remember that we must be willing to repent before we receive grace. 

UpStream

Life is a river. A river with rocks that get in the way, and we are all swimming in the same river. The river has a current. The current travels down stream. Wouldn't it be easier to just ride the current downstream? Yes. But as Christians, we are called to swim UpStream. Against the current.

The world is swimming downstream. Where does that lead to? *Destruction.  Focus on            Philippians 3:17-19 "Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those living according to the pattern we gave you. For, as I often told you before and now say again, even with tears, many live as enemies of the Cross of Christ. *Their destiny is Destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is their shame. Their mind is on earthly things." In this verse, Christ is telling us to follow the example of other Christians. Follow them UpStream. He says the world, (the lost), are headed for destruction. God promises many times in the Bible that if we press on, and stay on the path He has for us, there is a goal at the end. The goal or prize is above all greater than anything, Everlasting life with Him.

This is where you make the choice. Are you willing to be willing to lose everything by swimming UpStream towards the goal? Or are you just gonna sit back and ride the easy way downstream to destruction?

Humility

Learning humility may be one of the most important keys to our relationship with God. In EVERYTHING we do, we need to be humble, and make sure we are doing it for the right reasons. Humble yourself before the Lord and let all the glory go to Him. Thats hard. 

Thats just something I've been thinking about a lot lately, along with leading by example. I think that leading by example also takes humility. 

Saying Goodbye

I was just listening to Sleeping With Siren's "Don't You Ever Forget About me". The first part of the song says "The hardest thing I'll ever do, is say goodbye and walk slowly away from you" And a few minutes later I was on the phone with a girl from my old team that was my bestfriend. We were inseparable, then high school started. We go to different schools, and we both started to change. It never really hit me until tonight that me and her will probably never be as close as we were. I mean, I knew that relationship wasn't exactly good for me since I want to be sold out for God. But, I guess it just didn't click that we weren't going to be the same. Things are kind of awkward now. To tell the truth, I'm having a really hard time letting go of our relationship. I didn't think it would be this hard. This is a part of the path God has for me. I just have to lean on Him.

5 Areas of Wellness

This was part of an assignment in health class, but I wanted to share. Without God, no one is truly "Well" in any aspect.

5 Areas of Wellness 

Social

John 15:12-15 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

Proverbs 12:26 One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

My Thoughts: 

As Christians, if we are truly living for Christ, it is necessary that we surround ourselves with other Christians. If we are hanging around the wrong crowd, they will bring us down. Our closest friends need to be those with the same morals as us. That doesn’t mean to push away our friends that do not believe the same as us. We are called to be a minister to them. 

Spiritual

James 4:8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Proverbs 3: 5-8
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body, And refreshment to your bones.

Romans 12:1-2 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

My Thoughts: 

When we accept God’s gift of salvation and eternal life with Him, we aren’t just getting a free, easy ride. We are committing ourselves to God and His plan for us. By making this commitment, we should get rid of all the fleeting sins in our lives, because we do not need distractions as we are carrying out God’s plan. God wants us to spread His Word to others. He promises us in Scripture that the journey of spreading His love will not be easy. There will be suffering, and it is a sacrifice. But, God also promises that He will never leave us, and there is a great reward for us at the end. Also, we need to remember that God sent His Son to spread His unconditional love and then die for us, He was the ultimate sacrifice. We are created in God’s image, and He sacrificed Himself for us. So, as we travel the path, remember what God did for us, and be willing to endure any suffering that may come our way.

Emotional

John 14:27 I'm leaving you with a gift: peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn't fragile like the peace the world gives. So, don't be troubled or afraid. 

Matthew 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn. They will be comforted. 

Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. 

My Thoughts: 

As we travel the path God has set before us, we will experience hardships, which will bring emotions. We will have sadness, joy, anger, depression, and others. We are meant to have emotions, but we need to control them. If we become overcome by depression and sadness, we will not be able to carry out Gods plan. By being overcome by these things we are being selfish. We are focusing on ourselves and dwelling on the bad things, and in the end, in comparison to everything else, these are only small things. Lean on God, and lay your struggles at the foot of the Cross. 

Physical

1 Corinthians 3:17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.

1 Corinthians 6:20 For you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

1 Corinthians 10:31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

My Thoughts: 

When we accept Jesus into our lives, He dwells in us. We are His temple. We need to respect our bodies, and make good choices. We need to choose only good things to put into our bodies. Alcohol and drugs are not respectful of Gods temple. Even just small things like fattening foods aren’t respectful to our bodies. We need to make healthy choices.

Intellectual

James 1:5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Job 28:28 "And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.'"

Proverbs 1:7 - The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.

My Thoughts: 

We are to fear the Lord. By fearing Him we will gain knowledge and understanding. We need knowledge for everything. Wisdom is key to everything in our lives. We need knowledge to make the right choices. God gives us wisdom to help carry us through out the journey of preaching his word. Knowledge, wisdom, and understanding basically ties together and sums up everything. It is only given to us by God. Without it, we cannot have good Physical, Emotional, Social, or Spiritual health.

Moving On and Making a Difference

Moving on is so difficult and has taught me so many things. I decided to move from my travel team to a new one. I left for many reasons such as different goals, and some of the choices the girls were making were dragging me down. This was one of the hardest decisions I've ever made. Leaving these girls is very difficult for me. I spent all my time with them for the past 2 years. We were like family, but as we entered high school, everyone started to change, and I was being drug down into a dark place. When I chose to rededicate my life to Christ, I knew I needed to get away from that. Even if it meant distancing myself from my best friends, not permanently, but at least until I become strong enough in my Faith  to deny the temptations.

As the team was finding out that I was moving on, I got a phone call. I answered it, and it was one of my old team mates. She was crying, and begging me to come back. She was telling me that she doesn't think that the team made it clear that they looked up to me in a spiritual aspect. That blew my mind. Another girl told me I was the closest thing to Jesus in her life.. I mean look at me. I'm just AnnaLisa. I mess up ALOT. But, I guess there was just something different about me that they had never seen. I realized that I really do make a difference in someones life. Good or bad, I leave a footprint wherever I go. I am so thankful that I was able to make an impact on these girls lives. That means the world to me. Even though I made bad choices along the way, they still respected and looked up to me. Although, I do wish I would have made better choices then to be a better example. But at least I made a difference in their lives. 

Moving on is very hard. I know that I will still have relationships with them, but it won't be the same. I know that it is ultimately going to be better for me to be in a better environment though. I encourage you to pay attention to who is watching you, and to make good choices. You do make a difference. 

Over & Over Again

Have you ever wondered what God is doing in your life? I mean, I've made the commitment, I understand His love, I'm trying to better myself, but God keeps showing me this one thing over and over again. In every Bible Study, Bible Class, Church Sermon, anything, God keeps saying the same thing. -- Stay Strong, Its going to be hard, Glorify Me, Walk worthy, be joyful -- What is God trying to show me? If you are reading this, and you think you might have an idea, feel free to comment. It gets confusing, but I know that I just have to trust God with everything.

Overwhelming Love

Once again, God has amazed me and opened my eyes through Passion 2013. I can honestly say that tonight during John Piper's message, I finally started to understand God's love for us. I haven't been able to really grasp it before.

For me, I've been in Church since I can remember. I was raised to "believe" that God loves us. When I say "believe", I mean its something I learned or memorized, but never taken it in and fully understood it. Piper took a different approach at the concept of God's love than I have ever heard. He explained that we are to bring glory to God. He talked about liberation, freedom from anything evil. God sent his Son Jesus to free us from eternal death and separation from Him. Jesus took the path of love for liberation. <------ Think about that.

We are created in God's own image. What did he to? He sacrificed Himself, he paid the ULTIMATE price, to give us liberation from death! So since we are created in His image, we are called to do the same thing for others. That means that we have the choice to take the path of love for liberation, or take the path that seems safer. The path of love for liberation means there will be many struggles along the journey we are to spread Gods word and free others from sinful things. Its a real sacrifice, but we can learn to endure and embrace the sufferings that are thrown at us. If we choose to take this path, God promises he will NEVER leave us and He is on our side. He also promises a reward for us to look forward to when the journey is over, eternal life with Him. Does that not amaze you?

There is another choice though. We could choose to take the path that would be easy along the way, but in the end it results in a worse punishment than we could ever imagine, death. If Jesus sacrificed Himself for us, why not be obedient and sacrifice ourselves to save others, to bring glory to Him? There will be struggles and suffering, but we can endure, embrace, and joyfully look forward to what God has in store for us. I am still amazed at this. The fact that He loves us and promises to never leave us just amazes me. Its the best feeling ever to finally grasp this.

His Love Never Fails

God is awesome. That seems like a cliche thing to say, but really. I watched all 3 of the Main Sessions of Passion 2013 today. Each one was amazing, but the last one hit me hard. Francis Chan was the speaker. He started speaking about trust, and how its somewhat of a rare thing now. We have all been lied to. Its hard to trust anyone after you've been lied too. It might even become hard to trust God. We might even start to question God's own Word.

 In scripture it says that God is faithful. Even when we lose faith, He remains faithful to us. Chan then tied in the topic of suicide. Suicide is a common tragedy in the lives of many young people. When he started speaking about this, it really shook me. He mentioned things like how when you self harm the pain is almost addicting, and how you feel like your in such a low, dark place that nothing can save you. It amazed me how accurate he was about this. He said that it is so selfish for us to start thinking about ourselves so much that we become depressed. We should not dwell on the bad. The thing that stuck out to me the most out of all of this was that God clearly says in the Bible, that we will have hard times, but we have to push through. Chan repeated, "Endure what you need to endure, because we will reign with him!" After all this, we will be reigning in heaven with God!

So when you are in that dark place, and you feel like you are too far gone, know that God will never leave you. He wants to rescue you. He is a faithful God.

God Can Do More

I just finished watching the Live Streaming of the first main session of Passion 2013. All I can say is WOW. I am sitting in my room with my laptop, earphones, notebook and Bible watching this. You definitely don't have to actually be at the dome to feel the power of God. The worship was amazing. Louie Giglio spoke on God's ability to do Immeasurably More. I feel like God keeps pointing out to me, that it doesn't matter where you are, what you've done, who you are, what the circumstance is, He can heal you, He can help you, He can rescue you.  He can so much more than we know.

 Louie used scripture from Ezekiel 37. Ezekiel, a prophet, is led into a dry valley by God. The valley is filled with dry bones. God asked Ezekiel if the bones could live, and Ezekiel replied, "Oh Sovereign Lord only You know". God can do anything. At some point in our life, we are the dry bones. God wants to breathe life into us. He wants to take our stone heart and replace it with His. Cry out to God. No matter where you are. He wants to rescue you.

I can't wait to see what else God has in store for Passion 2013. The next Live Streaming is at 10:45 am tomorrow.  Check it out! http://www.live.268generation.com/