wrestlingthots

Rules to live by.
From my quiet time on 6.6.05

Be patient with everyone.
Never pay back wrong for wrong.
Be kind to everyone.
Be joyful always.
Pray continually.
Give thanks in all circumstances.
Test everything.
Hold on to the good.
Avoid every kind of evil.

1Thessalonians 5:14-22

One Day at a Time Jeremy Camp

One day at a time i will walk this road i've traveled so far
One day at a time well i know i will carry on
One day at a time i can see you took my life this far
One day at a time i will take this faith along

All this hope i breathe is given by the hand that carries me
Until I'm complete and i'll take all i will
To understand this plan you have for me, for me

I've been shut up shut down held out held down
In ways i never knew i would
I can't feel your fullness in my life
Well i've been burned out broken torn out torn down
In ways i never knew i would
I can't feel your fullness in my life

One day at a time i will take these words you've given me
One day at a time i will rest in knowing you
One day at a time i will share this gift you've given me
One day at a time i will walk these valleys through

All i know is that i see how much my heart
Is longing to be cradled by your side
And i'll give all i can to one day soon
Be held by your hand, by your hand

In all these things i will press on
I'll be with you i know it wont be long

Sometimes, you just have to take things one day at a time. One of the most frustrating things about life is not knowing the future. Doubts cloud things. I just want to be sure. I don't know. And then I realize that there is nothing I can do. I just have to take things one day at a time. I have to pray. I have to test everything, and I have to hold on to the good.

I guess one thing that has been bothering me is that at home I feel useless to God. At school, I am around other people, and I can interact with them. At home, I am around nobody. I feel useless. Like God can't use me. I guess I know He can, I just don't see how. Also, while at home, I feel like there is less God in my life. By this I mean that at school I had church, crusade, d-group, and sometimes another bible study. Here at home, I have church on sunday morning. I still have my quiet time, which has been very good, but I just crave interaction with other Christians. I know that God wants to use this time to draw me closer to Him. That is what I should be focusing on. So that I can be more effective when I am at school and around other people. God forgive me. I see now. The more I rely on You, the more effective I can be for You. And You are using this time to draw me closer to You and to help me to rely and trust in You. Thank You, God. Make me strong in You again. This guy at my church yesterday said that I was a warrior. Well, I haven't felt like a warrior in a while. God, please make me a warrior for You again. I have let things of this world drag me down, and while I have been slowly climbing out of the valley, I need You to lead me out. In my weakness, be my strength.

Quiet time from 4.23.05

1Corinthians ch.13 (yes, another lj about love. can you tell what is on my mind?? this just happened to be the chapter I was on that day!)

If I speak in tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. (1-3)

for...Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1John 4:7-8)

We love because He first loved us. (1John 4:19)

God, please help me to remember that You are my first Love.

This is from today's part of an actual devotional book that I just now remembered that I had:

"He (Jesus) taught us to yield up the love of life,
For the sake of the life of love.
His death is our life, His loss is our gain;
The joy for the tears, the peace for the pain."

Which goes along with 1John 4:10 :
This is Love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

God is Love. (1John 4:16)

Love never fails. (8)

Therefore, God never fails. (me!)

Sorry I don't have much to say, but I think that the verses pretty much speak for themselves.

This is from my quiet time today.

1Corinthians ch.10

"So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!" (12)

Kind of reminds me of "Pride goes before a fall." Just when you think everything is going right, that is when Satan tries to attack.

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." (13)

That really hit me hard this morning. Especially after last night. It is so tempting just to stay up all night. Yes, just to sit there. Not that it is neccessarily wrong, but...

"Everything is permissible -- but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible -- but not everything is constructive." (23)

Or as King James would say it: "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify."

How beneficial or helpful is it to stay up to 2, 3, or 4o'clock in the morning. How many times do I think, "Well, it is not 'wrong,'" but that doesn't mean that it is right. Grey area!! And this doesn't just apply to staying up really late. Others areas where it might not quite be wrong but is probably not beneficial include watching certain movies, and drinking, even in moderation (and I say these because they have been topics of conversation recently). Stuff that I do that is not very beneficial is spending endless hours on the computer. Procrastinating on everything. And even if I don't watch a lot of the movies, I have been watching a lot of MTV and VH1 lately, because that is what my roommates watch, and instead of leaving the room, I just stay and watch. And those channels can be no worse than some of the movies out there (I have stopped watching those channels). Everything I do should be beneficial or helpful or constructive in some way.

Anywho, back to the temptation verse. It is very comforting to know that while God does not prevent temptation (neither does He tempt), He does provide a way out. Always. I like the way the NKJ puts it: "[He] will also make the way of escape."


P.S. I forgot to say, but some of these entries might offend. No offense is intended, but I like to say what I think. These are my convictions.

Not sure where I heard this, or who said it, but it is good.

Pray...

at school, before you eat, while you drive, in the locker room, at home, eyes open, eyes shut, before the SAT, over the river, through the woods, feeding the dog, on the deck, walking to chemistry class, in the morning, before you sleep, wondering about the world, after the fight, on the way to Grandma's, looking for an answer, because YOU care, because you don't care, flying across the ocean, on your knees, preferably often, playing guitar, to erase, to REMEMBER, when you're happy, when you're SCARED, when no one else hears, using ancient IDEAS or new, singing or screaming, writing a letter, at the interview, with or without something to say, to get real, on the date, sacred or irreverent, help! help! help!,loud or soft, at work, floating or sinking, after you fail, after you succeed, hands folded or raised to the sky, with a friend, with your dad, for your friends, for your family, during the game, at the meet, to find Jesus, on the mountaintop, in the valley, when you feel alive, when you feel half-dead, under attack, at the concert, to reorganize, for composure, to PRAISE, to worship, to just listen, wherever, whenever, however... pray.

I am sure you can add a few :)

Pray continually.
1Thessalonians 5:17