Lamentations 3:25-26

"The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.

It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord."

~ Lamentations 3:25-26

Faith…Finding Enduring Boldness in Times of Suffering

By Kyrsten N. and Rebekah T. 

“And now, compelled by the spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace.”

~ Acts 20:22-24

Paul's situation was inevitable – prison and hardships had faced him before, and he knew the pain of suffering (see 2 Corinthians 11:23-29). But instead of shrinking from this trial, Paul charged into it with faith and complete sacrifice of his own will. How can we display this same confidence that is from the Holy Spirit? Romans 8:17 says,

“Now 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.”

If there is a time of suffering, then there is always going to be a time of renewal – when everything is new again and the glory of Christ rewards us for our endurance. If we hold onto our faith in the midst of the struggle, then we will come out with an even stronger, bolder faith.

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” ~ Jeremiah 17:7-8

So this faith must not be a faith in ourselves, but in God, for we can do nothing without his strength.

In the seasons of good times, we must also build each other up and be strengthened by the Word. This takes commitment.

“Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My father will honor the one who serves me.” ~ John 12:25-26

Service is important. When a trial comes and you feel flustered and bogged down by the weight of the world, try serving others. It will take the focus off of you and put it on God, which is the only way we can endure through the struggles we face. (See John 13:14-17.)

“Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in great conflict, full of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.” 

~ Hebrews 10:32-35

“Love eases pain, and when one loves God, one suffers for Him with joy and with courage...My pains and sufferings would be a paradise to me if I suffered them with God, and the greatest pleasures would be a hell if I enjoyed them without him. All my solace is to suffer something for him.” ~ Brother Lawrence

Thank you for sharing, Kyrsten and Rebekah! Blessings, Christina

Soli Deo Gloria ~ To God Alone Be the Glory!

Splashes

On my way to work one morning, I pulled to a stop at a stop sign and turned on my blinker, preparing to turn left. Something caught my eye. On the side of the road, there was a huge puddle of water. In that puddle were fifty or more birds. They looked like sparrows. And they loved the water. Splashing their little wings they bounced up and down, in and out, enjoying the puddle.

For a moment, I waited at the sign, mesmerized by their joy. These little animals enjoyed the gift of this deep puddle, delighting in the water. I wished I could have stayed longer, but I knew I couldn't just sit there at the stop sign, so I turned and continued on my way to work.

I want to be like those sparrows. I want to splash in the joys of my life. If the birds hadn't been flitting in and out of the water, I wouldn't have noticed the puddle. But they noticed it. The puddle was their joy.

Splashing,
Christina

Soli Deo Gloria ~ To God Alone Be the Glory!

Psalm 96:1-6

"Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth!

Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.

Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!

For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.

For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens.

Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary."

~ Psalm 96:1-6

Summer Update!

Summer is right around the corner! It's hard to believe! Time is flying by! 

This Summer I have the amazing opportunity to be a camp counselor at a Christian camp here in Michigan! I am so excited about the ministry opportunities the Lord has in store! In the upcoming Summer newsletter (coming soon!), I'll share more about how God has provided for this new ministry endeavor. When I get back, I can't wait to share all of my adventures with you! 

My verses for this Summer are Isaiah 26:3-4 and Isaiah 41:10. 

"You keep him in perfect peace

whose mind is stayed on you,

because he trusts in you. 

Trust in the Lord forever,

for the Lord God is an everlasting rock."
~ Isaiah 26:3-4

"Fear not, for I am with you;

be not dismayed, for I am your God;

I will strengthen you, I will help you,

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

~ Isaiah 41:10

In the meantime, I have scheduled some Summer posts for the blog and will be sending out the Summer newsletter soon. 

If you are ever interested in sharing about how the Lord has been working in your life for a Heart-to-Heart or a blog post, please let me know! I always enjoy featuring your thoughts and giving you the opportunity to encourage each other with what the Lord is teaching you! 

I hope you have an amazing Summer, full of fun, growth, ministry, and sunshine! 

Blessings to you all,

Christina

Soli Deo Gloria ~ To God Alone Be the Glory! 

Photo Credit: Leanna B.

Isaiah 12:2

Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid;

for the Lord God is my strength and my song,

    and he has become my salvation.

~ Isaiah 12:2 ~

He's Alive! And He's Perfect!

"He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay." 

~ Matthew 28:6

Jesus is alive! He died and rose again, conquering sin and death forever and ever! We don't have to live in sin or in fear or in bondage. We can have victory through Jesus Christ, our risen Lord! Jesus died on the cross and rose again, cleansing us from sin and clothing us with His perfect righteousness forever.

During our Good Friday service, we took communion and had a time of reflection. As I prayed, it stuck me to the heart that, "He was perfect so that I don't have to be. He was perfect because He could be and I couldn't be."

I spend so much time trying to be perfect. I want to be a perfect daughter, perfect employee, perfect friend, perfect sister, and ultimately, a perfect Christian. But that's not what God wants me to focus on. He wants me to focus more on who He is and how perfect He is than on how perfect I am trying to be. Perfection is unattainable outside of Christ.

In Christ, I am made perfect. I am crucified to myself and I live in Him: "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). My identity isn't wrapped up in my efforts of striving for perfection, but in His perfectly glorious holiness.

Because of His gift of life, I am going to put on the Lord Jesus (Romans 13:14), clothing myself in His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21) instead dressing up in my dirty rags of trying to be good (Isaiah 64:6). I don't claim to know exactly what this will look like in my daily life, but I do know that turning my focus away from myself and trying to be perfect and instead fixing my eyes on Jesus and His perfection will change the way that I live. For when I am in Christ, His love controls me and I'm not living for myself, but for Him.

"For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised." 

~ 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

Jesus is alive and Jesus is perfect! He died on the cross and rose again, conquering sin, conquering death, and giving us abundant life. His perfection is perfection. And He is alive, perfectly reigning forever and ever. Amen. 

Rejoicing,
Christina

Soli Deo Gloria ~ To God Alone Be the Glory