Blessed with Grace

Standing in Awe

2008-08-03T07:33:00.000-07:00

This morning, I listened to a sermon from last week (our church puts it on their website and iTunes). It was SOOO good! the sermon was mostly toward believers, since we're doing a study through 1st John.

1 John 3:1-3
1See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

here are Rob's main points:

Have I lost the wonder that I am loved by the Lord?

How can we stay in the wonderment of God?

1-God's love did not stop at the cross.

i feel that a majority of the body of Christ has lost it's wonder of being loved. Not only did Christ leave his absolutely perfect home in heaven; not only did He let Himself be born in a lowly way-in a stable, through a poor teenager; not only did he choose to walk this earth healing His broken world; not only did He choose to sacrifice Himself the way criminals were killed; NOT ONLY did He let the wrath of God be forced upon him for us; NOT ONLY was the veil torn so that everyday people, not just the high priest, could have conversation and intamacy with God; NOT ONLY did He defeat death and sin by raising up on the third day. He did all of this, but he also did this:

He made us his children.

For all of us that are believers, God looked at us-stranded, hopeless, worthless, infected with the world, and prone for destruction. He looked at us with the utmost compassion and chose to rescue us. Not because we were worth saving-God could do without us if he wanted!-but because of his ultimate love for us. He chose to save us because of his ultimate power. Because of his ultimate compassion.

Romans 8:14-17
14because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." 16The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

2 Corinthians 6:18
18"I will be a Father to you,
and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."

Do you see the catch there? We are sons of God! but see, for all you girls out there, usually the Bible will refer to sons especially in this case b/c sons recieve inheritence and blessings from the father-usually girls are married off to other men and have their inheritence. we are sons of God by believing in Him, and the only way we will share in his glory and such will be if we are persecuted for righteousness. Jesus garunteed that we will have hardships and trials and may even be put to death b/c of him. in all of this, we receive glory in heaven!

2-God's love for me has broken my attachment to the world.

When you are a child of God, you are set free from the slavery of sin. Done. Forever. After that, sinning is just not normal for you anymore. it doesn't feel right. you KNOW it's not right. it's not your default setting anymore.
God's love has separated us from this world and it's sin. therefore, we are redeemed. The world did not accept Christ, nor did it really know Him. We will, in many ways, face the same basic things. The world will not accept us, b/c we represent Christ.

3-God's love for me gives me a preview of future glory.

As humans, we have earthly bodies. When Christ comes, we will see Him as he really is! We will receive our new bodies also, and we'll dwell in him.

Psalm 17:15
15 And I—in righteousness I will see your face;
when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.

4-God's love for be compells me to be ready by being holy, or pure

In my opinion, one of the best qualities in a Christian is purity. It doesn't come easy, but being pure is so important. As teenagers especially, we need to take a stand and go against the flow by being pure. That means staying sexually pure by saving yourself for your spouse; your thought life is really important, too. When you start having those bad thoughts or images going through your mind, you need to stop, catch them, question them whether or not they're godly, and give them up to God. It's really hard for me b/c i am always finding faults in people. I don't know why, but that's my bad habit. My goal is to bring God glory through it by taking my thoughts captive and letting God handle them.

I have to go, but there's just a little more to this. i'll come back when i can! i have to join my brother going to VBS practice. we start this week!

In Christ,
Sunshine

Hebrews 11:1

breaking the surface

2008-06-25T16:19:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been reading this book called "A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23". God has been opening up my eyes so much! as Phillip Keller puts it, God's "shearing the extra wool" which is sin. I've been asking God to open my eyes to what i need to change in my life to be effective. i notice that I've been having a really bad attitude toward my parents (which is naturally gonna happen with puberty!) but that doesn't mean i have an excuse for it. i know i can change! i just have to have the Holy Spirit give me strength. Psalm 84:7 says that, with God, I will go from strength to strength until i meet Him in Zion! isn't that so encouraging?

God is so faithful. have you ever really let that sink in?

God is faithful.

it brings me to peace, knowing that He knows me so well!

i just got back from camp last week (read my other blog to get full info!) and God opened my eyes! i haven't been shining for Him as much as I can be! my small group leader was talking to us and she was saying how we usually like to become friends with people before telling them we're Christians. but the thing is, they'll see us acting like them, and when we tell them, they go, "wait; I thought Christians were supposed to be different". so we have to tell them immediately, "My biggest interest is Jesus Christ. my desire and goal is to bring Him glory and to live for Him! He has given me the gift of..." and you fill in the blank. like, God has given me the gift of piano playing, and it's for a reason. not just to have it for enjoyment, but to bring joy to those around me! music makes everybody feel good. i know it does!

lately I've been like a sponge. I get SO thirsty for God! I long for Him so times, I actually felt a shortness of breath. have you ever felt that? then I could spend hours upon hours just reading His word and still not getting enough!

but, the thing with that is that when you read God's word, you bring judgement on yourselves, but in a good way:

12For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

now, i don't know about you, but that gets to me! it's living and active. it judges us. in other words, it identifies the sin in our life and tells us that we need to get rid of it!

John 1:1 says that "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God and the Word was with God."

Revelation 19:13 says Jesus' name is the Word of God. so the Bible, God's Word, Jesus, telling us how to live, comforting us, training us, chastening us, lifting us up, and loving us. isn't that great?!?!?!

spend some time in a certain passage of Scripture. read it once to just read it. read it again, but this time think about what it is. imagine the tastes, sounds, smells, sights, and touch of the text. read it again to dissect it by sentence. then sit in silence, for however long it takes, just sitting in God's presence. do you feel it? the life coming out of the words? the promise in it? Christ literally speaking to you in that moment?

really. you should try it. it really helps to be by a window during sunrise.

think of it as studying your script. you're in a movie, and every morning and in your spare time you study your script, memorize it, and then act by that script.

that's how you live your life! you study the Bible, your Script, memorize it. you talk to your Director, Christ. He gives you guidelines on how to follow your Script. and then, it's lights...camera...action! you're on set! you strive to remember your Script, and live by it. even though sometimes you'll look like the bad guy in the movie (like when you have to break it to someone, telling them that Jesus is the only way to heaven. Or when everyone makes fun of you because you don't want to drink at the party. Or you are literally and physically persecuted because of your belief in Jesus), it always pays off.

always.

Secure in the love of my Daddy!
Sunshine <><

p.s: Psalm 103! read it!

like a sparrow

2008-04-28T11:25:00.000-07:00

I was just sitting here, surfing the 'net, when a little sparrow hopped right onto our outside deck. I looked out the window of the French doors, and he looked straight at me...chirped...gazed at his surroundings....then became fascinated with something else that made him bend his small rubbery feet, lift his wings, and push off.

Oh, how I want to be like that sparrow! He didn't have one care in the world---except that which he was occupied with. No worries, not deadlines, no schedules. To find food, all he had to do was just poke his beak in the ground for a worm! How simple is that?

The Bible says in Matthew, chapter 6, verses 25-27 (Matthew 6:25-34 in the context of worrying) that we all worry too much, and that we can learn a lesson from those birds.

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow, reap, or stow away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" (Matt. 6:26-27)

also...

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered! So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." (Matt10:29-31)

strive to be a sparrow----and only be occupied with one thing: JESUS CHRIST! Be obsessed with Him! think about Him all the time, about how great He is and how His creation is so beautiful and how much you love Him.

Let Him change you from the inside out!

And don't worry about it. It's probably not even worth worrying about. :-)

Trust God to take care of you. He does a great job.

"[I pray for you] to grasp how w i d e and how llllllooooooonnnnngggg and HIGH and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses all knowledge..." (Eph. 3:18-19. by the way, i added some "graphics" to the words to really grasp the message. they weren't in the Bible.)

In His name,
Sunshine

P.S. When you worry, you are really just telling God that He's not doing a very good job of taking care of you and that you don't have everything you need. Trust that God will take care of you...because He will! Worrying is just wasting your time. I've done it way too much in my short 12 years (lol).

Have a great day!

In Christ,
Sunshine

Love is a VERB

2008-04-13T07:23:00.000-07:00

God has really been working on my heart about love. One of my favorite passages is Romans 12:9-21:

9Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"says the Lord. 20On the contrary:

"If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.

In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."

21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

the verses in blue are the ones that I'm really getting a lot out of right now, especially v. 9-13. As children of God, we have to love, because the Bible says that "if anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother."

1 Corinthians 13: 4-13 is a GREAT passage on love.

1 John 3:23 says, "this is [God's] command...to love one another as He has commanded us."

Love is not for passivists: it's for ACTIVISTS! Love is a VERB, not a noun, adjective, or ABSTRACT NOUN. Love is patient when you're frustrated; Love doesn't hold grudges; Love is kind to others, no matter who; Love always looks out for the good of others.

How much are YOU in love?
Read 1 John. It's a great book.

Sunshine <><

Live, Laugh, LOVE! <3

Easter

2008-03-22T06:07:00.000-07:00

What a time this is! Easter Sunday...tomorrow?!?!?! already?!?!? wow.

this s one of my favorite holidays because it's one of the most important. Jesus died to save us from our sins, and he rose again on the third day to defeat death. that simple! but the gift was so great. all we have to do is recieve the gift and we will have eternal life to live with our Savior forever.

here is a GREAT way to tell the Easter story (with scripture) and have a tasty treat!

Resurrection Cookies
1 c whole pecans
1 t vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch salt
1 c sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. (this in important - don't wait until you are halfway done with the recipe!) Place pecans in a zipper bag and let children beat them with a wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested
he was beaten by the Roman soldiers.

Read John 19:1-3

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross he was given vinegar to drink.

Read John 19:28-30.

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life.

Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin.

Read Luke 23:27.

So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1 sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us He wants us to know and belong to Him.

Read Ps. 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.

Read Isa.1:18 and John 3:1-3

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered ookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid.

Read Matt. 27:57-60.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door.Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed.

Read Matt. 27:65-66.

GO TO BED! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.

Read John 16:20 and 22.

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.

Read Matt. 28:1-9.

HE HAS RISEN!

I've been going through the study "The purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. Today was day eight, and it was about how we were made for God's pleasure. he takes pleasure in us when we give Him thanks, when we sing to Him, when we honor other believers, when we obey His commandments, when we love everyone, when we grow more and more like the image of Christ; the list goes on and on. when we love Him and obey Him, it makes Him smile! the Bible says "For the Lord takes delight in His people" (Psalm 149:4a) and "He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will" (Ephesians 1:5).
we are to worship God, because "worshipers are what the Father seeks" (John 14:23).

so over the weekend as you go to church for Easter and remember what our Savior did for us, worship Him in all you do and do your best to bring Him pleasure.

Sunshine

Long time

2008-03-11T08:23:00.000-07:00

Hey! I know it's been a long time, but school is just really taking up my time these days. I'm trying to get my sermon notes on here and tell you about the sermon on Sunday (which was REALLY good) but I just can't seem to find time! Oh, by the way, I'm homeschooled, if I haven't already said that. but i wanted to share with you a few verses that have really been fresh every time I read them:

2 Corinthians 4:17-18

17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

aren't those great? knowing that we can put our trust in God and keeping our eyes on Him, who is eternal, and not on things of the world, which are temporary. how refreshing!

gotta go!
Sunshine

New Truths

2008-02-12T15:53:00.000-08:00

I've been learning new truths a lot lately. I really think God is blessing me with knowledge of Scripture and such. I've been reading in the Timothies a lot. This afternoon I was in Colossians and this passage jumped out at me:

Colossians 3:5-14
5Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.[b] 7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

12Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

That's the best clothing of all! compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. i think i'll work on that this week.

God Bless!
Sunshine

Abundant Joy!

2008-02-03T17:54:00.000-08:00

God really does answer prayer!
My biggest desire and prayer for my life has been having joy even when I don't feel happy. I've learned that my emotion shouldn't alter my joy level; I have full joy in Jesus Christ!
Over the past few days, God has really answered that prayer.
I was searching through my Bible the other night for some way to express my joy and gratitude towards God. I came across Psalm 30, which reads like this:

1 I will exalt you, O LORD,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me.

2 O LORD my God, I called to you for help
and you healed me.

3 O LORD, you brought me up from the grave ;
you spared me from going down into the pit.

4 Sing to the LORD, you saints of his;
praise his holy name.

5 For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for a night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.

6 When I felt secure, I said,
"I will never be shaken."

7 O LORD, when you favored me,
you made my mountain stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
I was dismayed.

8 To you, O LORD, I called;
to the Lord I cried for mercy:

9 "What gain is there in my destruction,
in my going down into the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your faithfulness?

10 Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me;
O LORD, be my help."

11 You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

12 that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.

What a great description of my testimony! I can relate to David so much when he wrote that.
I encourage you today to exalt God in everything you do, to give Him the praise! Let Psalm 30 be your prayer!

Sunshine

Another blog, another entry...how can I make things different?

2008-01-31T17:04:00.000-08:00

So you're sitting there, looking at another blog, another entry. What's supposed to be different about this one? You've seen the weird ones, the cool ones, and the drop-your-jaw awesome ones, but have you ever seen one dedicated to God and witnessing to our dark world? Well, my friend, you have come to just the right place. Even though this blog will be about my spiritual walk, I encourage you to take the truths I've learned and the mistakes I've made to improve your walk more. I will be going over lots of things, like what God is teaching me, and what I'm learning. If you are not a Christian, or you are just looking for something to fill that empty space in your life, go to God and His Word, the Bible. My mission of this blog is to touch the lives of the people that visit it, and to witness to each pair of eyes that passes over these words. I am learning new truths about God every day, and I want to share them with everyone! So get personal with God. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you (James 4:8).

That's all I have for right now. God Bless!

Sunshine
Isaiah 40:31