Weak vs. Mighty

"But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence."

~1 Corinthians 1:27-29~

My new years resolution for 2013 was to read through all the letters in the New Testament (Romans to Jude), a chapter a day. The letters are very fasconating to me and I love how easily put they are for the most part. :) There is a lot of applicable lessons that I can use in everyday life. On Thursday I finished Romans and today I am starting 1 Corinthians. I must confess; I am here in Minnesota and we have been so busy with family that I have neglected my bible studies for a couple days. :( Today is the coldest (high of -4) so we are staying inside for the day and so I have time to spare. :) Anywho, I came across this verse and really liked it.

When I read these verses, I thought of David. He was an unattractive, small, inferior, young teenager who had done nothing significant with his life other than keep watch over the sheep. He was also the youngest of his tall, burly, attractive brothers which made it even worse. In other words, David was small and insignificant. However, God used him greatly! David was a big part of Isreal's history and he contributed much to the Bible. If it weren't for him, the Psalms would not exist. Goliath would not have been defeated, and he was also known as the greatest King in Israel's history! The Lord used him mightily. Throughout the Bible, God used men coming from all different backgrounds; primarily the poor and insignificant in the world's eyes.The world expects the heroes of the world to be wealthy, attractive, and powerful. Whereas God is pleased with using the "weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty." John the Baptist is another good example of how God uses the weak things of the world for His glory. Although John was spiritually strong, he was weak in the way that he was poor. John lived in the wilderness, ate honey and locusts all to simply preach the Word of God to the people. When Jesus picked his disciples he did not go into the temple and pick the knowledgable, wise and holy priests. He sought his followers among the poor fishermen, the despised tax collectors, the doctors, etc.

However, it is truly amazing to me that the most perfect example is Christ's birth into this world. Jesus could have come like the Jews expected Him; majestically in royal clothing, on a valiant steed. That would have been like any other king, though. Jesus, as humble as He is, came as a weak baby lying in a manger, born into a poor family. His humble birth brought surprise to many, but it is truly humbling for us.

The way God works is not how we work, and it is definitely not how the world works. the world expects the rich and popular things to prosper not the inferior and weak things. Jesus very well had the power to put on a show the day of His birth, but He did not. The Lord works in marvelous ways! :) If you are feeling insignificant or you have a "nobody cares about me attitude" just remember that God has the best plan for you and your future. Just trust in Him and allow Him to use you every step of your life with Him! :) 

Sharpening: A "Friendly" Tool

 "As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend."

Proverbs 27:17

Just a few days ago, I hosted a get-together with my six best friends. My desire was to just get the girls over to have a fun time of fellowship, games and customized pizzas. :) I was so excited as were my friends. We rarely have time to have fun because of the business of school and life. I had been looking forward to this evening for quite some time and it had finally arrived. During dinner, my dad took me aside and suggested that as we sit around the fire pit and chat, that we take turns and say what we would like to see the Lord do in each of our lives this new year. So, when we were ready to go outside, we did that. At first I thought it would be a quick 5-10 minutes of taking turns talking, but it soon turned into a "popcorn" discussion. One girl would bring up something in her life, and another would chime in and encourage her. I cannot tell you how wonderful it was! The quick 5-10 minutes turned into a God-filled 30-40 minutes of deep discussion! After the party, the verse above in Proverbs came to my mind. I felt so "sharpened" after our discussion. It truly is a great feeling to encounter. It seemed that all seven of us girls was going through similar things in life; probably because our ages range from 14-18. :) I believe our friendship with one another was strengthened and I am so excited to spend the rest of my life with these girls! :) I also felt, during the discussion time that the Lord was there with us, because everything we spoke about was about Him and completely pure and holy. 

"Finally brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things."

Philippians 4:8

 The verse in Proverbs is very important to a person's relationship with the Lord. It is also an encouragement to sharpen your friends in the knowledge of the Word. It is hard to find good friends in this fallen world, I understand, but you can be that friend whom someone will never forget. The Lord may just use you to speak into a friend's life for the better.  I just wanted to share my experience with you readers. It was truly a God-given time of fellowship, discussion, and laughing and I am so thankful to the Lord for wonderful friends! :)

Praise: A Life Long Commitment

 "PRAISE the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! While I live I will praise the LORD; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; in that very day his plans perish. Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God..."

Psalm 146:1-5

 I love the beginning of these verses, "while I live I will praise the Lord; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being." This verse says a lot of how a Christian should worship and how often. Our worship to the Lord should be continuous! Never-ending, lasting, and until we die. In everything and through everything, worship is necessary. It does not matter whether or not your life is going smoothly or you are suffering through a difficult trial; God commands our worship. I like how the psalmist put that, "I will sing praises to my God while I have my being." In other words, until our life on earth is done. Now, you may be asking, but how do we worship? Worship can take many forms. Singing, kneeling, praying, godly actions/words, giving, and speech are all forms of worship to the Lord. God values our attention towards Him. He desires to be the primary purpose of our lives. If then, He is your primary purpose of living, your desire should also be to worship Him at all times. Make it your life's goal to please Him in everything! "Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul!" God bless you dear readers!