"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." Proverbs 3: 5-6
These are my new favorite verses. There is so much meaning in them. They really spoke to my heart. This week (weeks) I fell behind a bit, but I was able to catch up. Here is what I read:
Genesis 18:16-42:17
Matthew 6:25-13:46
Psalms 8-18:15
Proverbs 2:6-4:6
Genesis
Envy and jealously aren't good. So, why do they come so easily for us? We want what we don't have. We say we "need" something. Stop and think, do you really need this? Could wanting it as much as you do cause you to think you need it? Do you look at what someone else has and compare it to what you have? They have a bigger TV, a nicer car, a better computer. Instead of thinking you want something someone else has, think of what you already have. Probably a lot more than some people have. You should thank God for all He has already blessed you with. This is hard to do, especially in this society, where the newer, the better. Where people stand in lines for days waiting for the newest iphone to come out. Appreciate what you already have, because you're lucky to have even that. And when you find yourself keeping score with what others have, it's time to deal with your jealously. Genesis 26: 12-16 and 37: 19-20 can help you with this issue.
Let's talk about prayer. Prayer is a powerful thing. A lot of people only pray when they need something. I used to be guilty of this. Now I pray everyday, several times a day. When I need comfort, when I want to thank God for everything He has blessed me with, when I need guidance and perspective, when I need a shoulder to cry on, when I need to repent my sins, and for so many other reasons. He is always someone I can count on for being there for me whenever I need Him. One thing I have learned from Genesis 30: 22-24 is that I need to be patient. God WILL answer prayers, but on His time.
Matthew
Matthew 6:25-34 tells us not to worry about basic needs, like what to eat, drink, or wear. When I first read this, I thought that's impossible! How can I not worry about what I'm going to eat?? But now I know what it truly means. That to not worry about simple, everyday things. Don't worry about tomorrow. Instead, focus on living righteously and God will give you all you need. This is something I struggle with daily. I worry about everything! But, worry does more harm than good. It pulls your attention from God, and what's really important. Have faith in God, and know that no matter what comes your way, God will give you the strength to overcome it. In Matthew 11: 28-30, it tells us not to stress. When we feel stressed, turn to God and He will carry our burdens for us. Remember, faith in God is the best way to show Him how much you love Him. We must keep our faith strong, even when times are hard. He might not always take away our troubles, but He will give us the strength to overcome them.
Here is an issue that bothers me: Judgement. It bothers me because so many people are very judgemental. But it bothers me most because I am too. It almost comes natural to us. I see it all the time, and I catch myself doing it many times. We need to remember, it is not our place to judge others; it's God's. Let God handle that. Turn to Matthew 7: 1-14. God wants us to treat others the same as you want to be treated. Instead of judging someone for their life choices, we should accept them. We should focus on spreading God's word so that the people who have fallen off the right path might see the light and turn to God.
Psalms
Everyone has doubts sometimes. Everyone gets angry sometimes. It's how you handle these that matter. Always turn to God, even when you have doubts or you are angry. Even if you feel like God isn't there with you, keep praying. Keep your faith strong. Even if you don't understand something, share your feelings with Him. He wants to hear from you. And trust me, even if you don't feel it, He is there. Just turn to Psalms 10:1 and 13 when you feel this way.
Proverbs
I have found new words to live by: Proverbs 3: 5-6. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." I love these verses. They tell you exactly how to live your life basically. Trust the Lord and seek His will, and He will show you the right path to take. I can't tell you how many times I wish I have done this. I wish I realized how true this was a long time ago. But I do now, and that's what it most important. This is how I want to live my life. It's not always going to be easy, in fact it's probably going to be a challenge. But the rewards are so wonderful and are so worth it, it won't feel like work at all.
I want to start off with a little bit about myself. I am a follower of Christ. I have a wonderful husband, Kiefer, who I married in December 2012. We have three beautiful kids, Ollie, Mollie, and Hallie.....they all have fur ;) (2 cats and a dog). I have an amazing family.
I LOVE animals, especially cats! I'm known as the crazy cat lady, which is a title I gladly accept :)
I have never read the entire Bible. In fact, I am ashamed to say that as a Christian, I have read very little of the Bible. Which is one reason I began this journey!
This is the end of week one of the One-Year Plan through my YouVersion Bible app. It includes daily readings from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. I am using my Students Life Application Study Bible in the New Living Translation. I've really enjoyed it so far! I won't lie, I did miss one day this week, but I made up for it by reading it the next day!
This week, I read:
- Genesis chapters 1-18 (18:1-15)
- Matthew chapters 1-6 (6:1-24)
- Psalms chapters 1-7
- Proverbs chapters 1-2 (2:1-5)
I will break down my thoughts into the different chapters I read, so that I am not bouncing around everywhere.
Genesis
In Genesis 1:26, God says, "Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us." God wants us to reflect his characteristics, like love, patience, forgiveness, kindness, and faithfulness. I could really work on being patient. I struggle with this, which is one reason I'm nervous about being a mom. But I've learned that God will give me the strength to overcome this.
The question I need to be asking myself is, do I go through the motions everyday, or do I really put my heart into pleasing God? Do I read my bible, go to church, pray, do good deeds out of obligation? What is my motivation for pleasing God? Cain tried to please God out of obligation instead of love in Genesis 4:3-7. These are hard questions, and I think a lot of Christians struggle with this. I want to live my life in God's glory. So before I do anything to please God, I'm going to make sure my heart is in the right place.
Church attendance, prayer and good deeds are all great, but FAITH and TRUST in God is the only way to have a strong relationship with Him. As said in Genesis 15:6, "And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith."
Sometimes we may feel like some things are impossible. But isn't anything possible through God? "Is anything too hard for the Lord", Genesis 18:14. Sarah laughed when God said she would have a son. She felt she was too old. When God confronted her about laughing, she lied. She doubted God and his power. She didn't have enough faith. I need to learn to put all my faith in the Lord and to always remember, with God, anything is possible.
Matthew
The sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 tells us that God wants us to give when others take, love when others hate, help when others abuse. He blesses and rewards those who do things His way. This is a hard one. It kind of ties in with Matthew 5:38-42, where it says, "...if someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too." This is hard because it's not always fair. But, we must always play fair. Don't ever seek revenge, God will handle those who harm you. Love your neighbor and your enemy. Treat them as God would. We are all Gods children. Pray for them instead. Just think, what would Jesus do?
Psalms
Time to get personal. I have many enemies in my life. You might be thinking, who would be an enemy to such a sweet girl ;) but I don't mean people. My "enemies" are all within myself. I have been struggling with depression. I have fears, doubts, negative thoughts, and these are all a war within myself everyday. I recently lost a job that I cared so much about. I have been struggling with what my future holds, where am I going in life? I don't mean my husband and family. I am beyond blessed to have them.
Psalms 3 really helped me understand that God is my shield from these enemies and He will protect me from them. He is always watching over me, and I shouldn't be afraid anymore.
I have to say, when I started reading the bible everyday, I started to feel a HUGE difference inside myself. I know a lot of people say that, but it's TRUE! It's absolutely amazing! And to think this whole time, while I was going through all of this, the best medicine was sitting on my bookshelf. I wish more people could see that.
I also learned from Psalms that God ALWAYS listens to our prayers. He will always answer them, even if it's not the answer we were expecting.
Proverbs
I really like Proverbs. It tells us how to be understanding, just, and fair in everything we do. It tells us how to make wise decisions. What stuck out to me this week was chapter
1:10-19. So many kids in school go through peer pressure. While my days of peer pressure are mostly behind me, there is still pressure from society, media, and life in general. That's what makes decision making so hard. Making a wise choice can help you stay on the right path. Always remember that God wants you to listen to Him, not everyone else. Then everything will fall into place. :)
