Living in the presence

so i am in Cambodia at the moment i will update you guys in a week or two i am just every busy right now, still love ya’ll!!

2-25While Jews clamor for miraculous demonstrations and Greeks go in for philosophical wisdom, we go right on proclaiming Christ, the Crucified. Jews treat this like an anti-miracle—and Greeks pass it off as absurd. But to us who are personally called by God himself—both Jews and Greeks—Christ is God’s ultimate miracle and wisdom all wrapped up in one. Human wisdom is so tinny, so impotent, next to the seeming absurdity of God. Human strength can’t begin to compete with God’s “weakness.”

 ^26-31Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don’t see many of “the brightest and the best” among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these “nobodies” to expose the hollow pretensions of the “somebodies”? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. That’s why we have the saying, “If you’re going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God.”

I feel sometimes i guilty of trying to outsmart myself, if that makes any sense. i tend to second guess my first instincts, this usually results in me messing up or missing an amazing opportunity. I over think, which is not a totally bad thing depending on the context of the situation.

looking back on the school year I’ve let myself miss a lot of chances to witness to friends, speak my mind, let Jesus speak through me, and pray for people. when i first started to think about this i was like ’ wow, I’m a horrible Christian, God is probably super disappointed with me.’ of course this thought was a product of over thinking (which caused some major doubt), But there was some truth in these harsh thoughts; firstly, i held back during moments when the Lord was encouraging to get out of my comfort zone, Jesus doesn’t hate me for it but we both missed chances to spread the gospel which i admit sucks. 

while reading 1 Corinthians, i found a verse that sort of reminded me of this.

 Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom… ( 1 Corinthians 1:22 NIV)

yeah, this was totally me at times during the year, looking for signs and wisdom, totally ignoring what God was telling me directly.the verse goes on to say…

 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, ²⁴ but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

 ²⁶ Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before him.

So here i am imperfect, thinking i’m smart enough to do my own thing and Jesus straight up tells me, he’s got this, I’m not smart enough to do it by myself, he forgives me and gives me the opportunity to use my talents to glorify him. how great is our God??

This year i’ve let my over analyzing get in the way of growing, however compared to last year i’d say that i am learning and becoming stronger in my faith and relationship with the Lord, taking time to see your mistakes can help us to steer clear of them next time.

ps. i am going to re-post 1 Corinthians 1:22-29 the message version, because i find it’s easier to understand ( and that’s the version i read). 

^1-3In light of all this, here’s what I want you to do. While I’m locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences.

so  today got a new bible ( it’s the message) i was really excited to get it, because of the horrible condition of my current one. i received my first bible 5 years ago, my god mother gave it to me, it was already quite worn when i got it. it’s paper-back and pages have fallen out i even found 25 cent bills in it dated 1923, regardless it has done it’s job of teaching me about the gospel and about myself. I became a Christian with it and have never owned any other, until now. My very good friend and mentor gave me a really fancy looking leather covered bible, I’m actually pretty excited to read it seeing as it is a different translation than my current one.

i am going to pull out my reading glasses right about now, do you guys still have your first bible?

1 Peter 1:13-16 (NIV)

¹³ Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. ¹⁴ As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. ¹⁵ But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; ¹⁶ for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

Wow, i don’t know about you guys but i would be extremely uncomfortable referring to myself as holy, in fact a quick definition of the word holy….

Holy ‘Belonging to, derived from, or associated with a divine power; sacred.’

so it kinda makes sense if you think about it, as Christians associate ourselves with the divine power of the Father, but i wouldn’t go all the way and say i am sacred. So why are we being called to be holy?? The Old Testament Hebrew word for holiness, (kadesh) means ‘something which is cut off, separate or set apart.’ Only God is holy/sacred literally speaking, but as followers of Christ we are called to be set apart, living examples of the teachings of Jesus.

soo… were not holy literally speaking, were set apart (which is still pretty cool)

1 Peter 1:13-16 is probably one of my favorite bits of scripture, this is kind of like my summary of it, because at times i find it a little confusing.