Philippians 2:4 Inductive Bible Study: Adaptibility/ Mutual Submission 2/24

Philippians 2:4 says, "Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others."

Again, this is something I have always thought I had on lock. I thought I was the master of looking out for others. In reality I was a people pleaser. Being a people pleaser is selfishness disguised as looking out for others. I was always constantly looking for others approval. I was constantly looking for others to be pleased with me. This meant that I constantly set myself up to fail because you can't always please others. When I was trying to make everyone else happy, I was really just looking out for myself. I was searching for my own happiness but to no avail.

My thinking was totally backwards. When I try to please others so that they will like me, everyone will be let down. But when I stop thinking of myself, put my eyes on Jesus, let Him live through me and look out for others interests, I stop focusing on me.  My focus is Christ and letting Him live through me. I am naturally selfish. In my own strength, I cannot look out for others interests. I cannot be humble. But when it's no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me, the pressure to strive to please others is off of me. God's glory is secured. I am weak but His strength is made perfect in my weakness because He can prove His strength in a weak vessel. If this is how I live, people will look at me, but not see me; they will see God. The things that He will do through me in His power will be obvious that I could have never have accomplished them on my own.

Something that I struggle with is being happy for someone when something good happens to them but something hard happens to me. I get caught up in my emotions and I put my interests above theirs. I focus on myself. If I get my eyes off of myself and my situation and rejoiced with them, it would be a lot easier to deal with my situation anyways. Oh, the irony.

Notice that it doesn't say, "Hate yourself and never take care of yourself." It just says to look out also for others interests, and not only for my interests. I need to give their interests more value than my own(tying in yesterday's verse). I need to not get so caught up in my own circumstances and emotions that I don't pay attention to the needs of others.

Application:
Today, I will pray for a true understanding of humility and that God would allow me to see other's needs ahead of my own. I will strive to seek and cease every opportunity to serve others and take care of others(looking out for their interests) even if that just means seeing that they are having a hard time and need someone to pray for them and encourage them.

Philippians 2:3 says, "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself."

This past month and a half has been a huge time of growth for me. I have always thought of myself as a humble, compassionate and selfless person. Now think about that for a second. If I thought those things about myself, it kind of cancels out the possibility of being any of them. I realized that I am a people pleaser. I thought this just meant that I always wanted others to be happy, but in reality I just always wanted people to be happy with me. I wanted to make sure that there wasn’t anything to be upset at me about. I have never associated myself with the words "selfish" or "prideful", but just from the last month and a half, I have realized that I am both.

I do serve and I do want to help others but something that I'm ashamed to admit that I struggle with is that in my mind, I tend to think about what I will get out of it. How will what I am doing for someone else benefit me? How will people see me when I do this? That is so far off of what I am called to as a Christ-Follower. I am supposed to be serving and trying to not let my left hand know what my right hand is doing, not declaring it with all the dramatics that I can so that I can be seen and draw attention to myself. For everything I do, I want the glory to go to God. I want Jesus to live through me and when they look at me, they can't even see me but they see Him. I need to stop serving with the intention of, "What will I get out of this?" and "Who can I get to notice that I'm doing this?" This is something that I am working on every single day but it is a big struggle.

I have always looked at myself as humble but I have recently realized that I am prideful but have a really bad self esteem issue. I have always torn myself down and thought of myself as not as important as others and had this, "Good for nothing," and "No one will ever like me," attitude. There is a lot of self pity involved. Okay, all of those thoughts take a lot of thinking about me. If I am thinking that much about me, I am not humble but prideful. It's hard to understand and explain but there is a certain type of pride that comes with a horrible self esteem and I have mastered it.

So in these past 6 weeks, I have discovered the difference between thinking of myself as worthless and esteeming others as better than myself. I need to have a servant's heart and mind toward others. I need to always be looking for opportunities to help others without the thought of what I can get from it. Jesus Christ is the perfect and spotless Lord of Lords and King of Kings yet he humbled himself to the point of dying the death of a criminal on a cross for us. He washed His disciples' feet. He didn't come to be served but to serve. So how much more should I, as a sinful human, be willing to serve others and think of others as more important than myself.

Application:
Today, I will pray that God would help me to seek and cease every opportunity to serve others. I will pray that God would help me to take my thoughts captive so that every time I have a selfish thought about what I can get out of helping, that I would just be able to give it to God and ask Him to renew my mind with thoughts of Him and not selfish of myself.

Hebrews 13:17 Inductive Bible Study: Obedience 2/20

Hebrews 13:17 says, "Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you."

Ok so as I look at the context of this verse, it looks like the author is talking about Christian leaders(13:7 says, "who have spoken the word of God to you.") so that's what I'm going to address. Throughout my life, I have been placed under amazing leaders and not so great leaders. These verses don't say, "Obey your leaders when you agree with them," or "when you like them," or "when you think they are right." Trust me, I wish it did. But, just as it is with parents, I think we are to obey those who have been placed in authority over us, as long as whatever they ask me to do is not going against God and His word.

It's one thing to obey when I am placed under the authority of people who obviously love God and agree with my beliefs. It's pretty easy when that is the situation. That's how it is right now. I am in a place where I am surrounded by a lot of amazing leaders who love God with all that they are and have given their lives to serving Him. They wouldn't ask me to do anything that they wouldn’t be willing to do themselves(for example, Miss Patti was showing me a job she needed me to do for servant time and she, while being fully dressed nicely for chapel, jumped right in to show me what to do, totally not caring if she got dirty or if her clothes got messed up). I know that they love God and that they love me and so it's pretty easy to obey them because I know that what they ask me to do is going to benefit me and others. I know that they wouldn't purposely ask me to do something that goes against what God wants for me. I know that it won't always be 100% easy to obey but I will know that what they have asked me to do is right.

It is a whole different story when I am not particularly fond of the people placed in authority over me and/or when we do not have the same beliefs. Even though they love God and want to do His will, we can still interpret the Bible differently. Also, I love God but I'm also human and I have a hard time loving everyone like I'm supposed to. So even then, I need to obey, as long as what I am being asked to do is not against God's word.

So whether I like it or not, I am to obey the authority in my life. I think the second part of this verse is very important. I don't want to give people grief when they tell me to do things. I need to be obedient and joyful. If I'm obedient but my response is disrespectful, that will grieve my leaders and will not profit me. It will only make things worse for me and them. This is yet another example of why I need to rejoice in the Lord always. Having a bad attitude messes things up for me, too and it makes people not want to deal with me.

Application:
Today, I will pray for obedience and that God will help me to be humble, submissive and joyful when I am given instructions, whether I  want to obey or not.

Ephesians 6:1/Colossians 3:20 Inductive Bible Study: Obedience 2/19

Ephesians 6:1 says, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right."

Colossians 3:20 says, "Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord."

Immediately following both of these verses are verses that tell fathers not to provoke their children.  I love the balance that this shows. We, as children, are to obey our parents and our parents are to treat us in a way that will make us want to obey.

In today's society, honoring our parents is not a priority for anyone. Parents(for the most part) are with looked at as "friends" or doormats. They try to be friends because they want their kids to talk to them and they want their children to look at them as "cool" but when they do that, they lose the respect and obedience that children are commanded to give their parents.  Parents turn into doormats when the parents might not have taught their children to respect them or obey them properly when they were young so when they grow up they take advantage of them and walk all over them. And I'm not just applying this to kids or teenagers but adults. These two parenting ideas are even acted out in TV shows like it's the norm(sadly because it probably is for the most part).

Children are to obey their parents as long as their parents are not instructing them against what God says. If parents tell their children to do something sinful, then the children are to obey God rather than men(which I talked about earlier this week with Acts 5:29). This verse doesn't qualify it and say "obey your parents as long as they are following Jesus". So if you are in a situation where your parents are not believers, you need to make sure that you are weighing everything they tell you to do with what God is telling you.

This isn't just a suggestion to listen to my parents when I feel like it. But a command to obey them in all things(as long as it doesn't contradict God's word). This one gets confusing now that I don't live at home. I know that I still need to respect my parents. But if there was something that they told me to do that I didn't agree with(that isn't sinful), would I still have to obey them even though their role in my life is a bit different now since I am an adult? I think that if that did happen, I would need to just take it to God(which I should be doing always anyways) and ask for Him to show me what to do and make sure that I am deciding not to do it because God told me not to, not because I just don't want to. At that point, it's my job to handle the situation with gentleness and respect.

I know there's been times in my life where I didn't handle situations with my parents correctly. And I'm sure that at the moment I could probably justify the heck out of it. But no matter what reasons I have, nothing gives me the right to be disrespectful or disobedient(unless of course they told me to do something sinful, which I already talked about).

It pleases my Heavenly Father when I obey my earthly parents. He has given me to them to train up in the way I should go. My job is to obey them.

Application:
Today, I will take an extra 10 minutes to lift my parents in prayer and I will pray that God will help me to obey and respect my parents, even now when I don't live with them.

Romans 6:16 Inductive Bible Study: Obedience 2/18

Romans 6:15-16 says, "What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness?"

Verses 18-19 say, "And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness."

My assigned verse what Romans 6:16 but I included the others to help clarify it.

A lot of times people think, "Well, God's grace is there for me so I can do whatever I want and He'll forgive me." Yeah, that's not how it works. I know that I've gotten caught up in thinking this way at certain times in my life. I just want to ignore what God is telling me. I don't want to follow His plan for me at that time because sin is way more "fun". But when I get tired of it and decide to "get right with God", His grace will be there. Okay, yes, God's grace is there. But that should so not be how we look at grace. Paul admits that this is an imperfect analogy but in human terms, we are going to be slaves to something. It's our choice what it will be. Will I be a slave to sin, which eventually leads to death? Or will I be a slave to obedience to God, which leads to righteousness and eternal life through Christ. I don't know about you, but I definitely think the second one sounds like the better deal.

Also, going back to my IBS from Monday, I obey God because I love Him. If I am doing whatever I want because God will have grace, that's not a loving relationship. I'm doing whatever is convenient for me. I would feel completely taken advantage of if one of my friends or family members treated me like this. What makes me think it's okay to treat my loving Heavenly Father this way? It's not only disobedient, it's disrespectful of the sacrifice that He's given for me. He gave His only Son to be tortured and murdered so that I can have a relationship with Him. And I take it completely for granted. I treat it like a convenience. Whenever I feel like being right with God. Whenever I get bored of the world. But as soon as sin gets enticing again, I go back to it, knowing that God's grace will be there when I'm ready. I really need to get rid of this way of thinking. I've been saved when I completely don't deserve it. I am totally unworthy and yet God loves me. God doesn't owe me. How dare I take His grace so lightly.

I am a slave to obedience. I need to remember that. But I am a bondslave because I am willing. I want to obey God. I love Him. I am so undeserving of His grace and I don't want to look at it as a convenience anymore. Obedience to God leads to righteousness and eternal life(Romans 8:28). How exciting is that? Sin only leads to eternal suffering. The "reward" and "fun" is only temporary but the gift of God lasts forever.

Application:

Today, I will memorize Romans 6:15-16 and post it on my bed as a reminder to not take God's grace lightly.

Acts 5:29 Inductive Bible Study: Obedience 2/17

Acts 5:29 says, "But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to obey God rather than men."

American society is very much into trends and following what everyone says is popular. It doesn't even matter if it's stupid or if we don't like it; we do it because everyone else says we should and we look for man's approval. Most trends don't even make sense. We just want to fit in. We only want to belong. So when society says that God isn't cool and therefore talking about Him is not allowed, we want the world's acceptance so much that we listen. We deny God or at least hide His light.

Newsflash, the reason that society wants us to stop talking about God is because they are convicted. They know, one way or another that how they are living is wrong and if they accept that God is real and alive, they'll have to change and that just won't be "cool" or "fun". Oh, if they only knew the purpose that their life could have! I have definitely gotten caught up in worrying about what the world says. Even about where I should be in life. Society says that "normal" successful people graduate high school at 18, graduate college at 22 and get married and start having kids somewhere between 18 and 25. Well I am turning 20 next month, haven't started college, don't have a boyfriend, and am living as a missionary in another country for almost a year. My situation right now doesn't fall in the "normal" category of society and that can be stressful if I get caught up in what society says my life should be and don't give God the control of my life. God said go to IGNITE so I did. I need to obey God rather than men. Even when it doesn't make sense. Even when I get judged or mocked.

Also, we have God on our side. Why in the world do we need man's approval? The God that created the universe is taking care of me. He will never leave me nor forsake me. I am filled with His Holy Spirit, who is my Helper. Who can be against me(Romans 8:31)? Nothing can separate me from the love of God through Christ Jesus(Romans 8:39).

God's plans are so much better than mine because I can't see everything at once like He can so I don't know how my situation is effecting someone else. My job is to just trust that He has a purpose for me to be where I am. He has given me commands for my own good and so that His plans get completed. He has created me for good works which He prepared beforehand(Ephesians 2:10). My job is to walk in them.

Application:
Today, I will memorize this verse.

John 14:15-16 Inductive Bible Study: Obedience 2/16

John 14:15-16 says, "If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever."

Romans 8:3-4 says, "For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit."

I think it's awesome that Jesus says "If you love me, keep My commandments." Not if you fear Me, or if you trust me or if you believe in Me or even if you want to go to heaven, but if you love Me. I listen to Jesus because I love Him. And I know that He loves me. I know that He has given His commandments for a reason, not because He wants to rain on my parade or crash my party. He cares about me and doesn't want me to be separated from Him. He wants me to spend eternity in heaven. He desires the best for me. And so if I love Him, I will trust Him and keep His commandments. And He will pray to His Father and God will send His Helper, the Holy Spirit, to be with me. The Holy Spirit empowers me to follow the commandments. I can't be perfect but I can't even try to follow God's commandments on my own. I need the Holy Spirit.

People get frustrated because it feels like God is this mighty hateful Being sitting up on a cloud watching their every move and He gave these laws to keep them from having any fun and He's going to strike them down and ruin their lives when they mess up. They don't want to even try to know Him because this is the God they think they would be trying to know. I am so grateful that this is not my God. My Heavenly Father loves me. He is like a parent that tells His child not to touch a hot stove. The parent knows that the hot stove will harm their child and so out of love they tell them not to do something that will bring harm to them. All the child knows is that they were given a rule and they just want to know what will happen if they touch the stove. They think their parent is hiding a secret from them. They must not be letting them touch it because it's fun. I think this is how we are with God a lot of times. He must be trying to ruin our fun. In reality, He doesn't want us to get hurt. What He wants to give us will be so much better for us than what we could ever plan for ourselves anyways. We just have to trust Him.

Also, to clarify, we have been delivered from the law through Christ's sacrifice. We are to live by the law of grace and live according to the Spirit. We are to still keep the commandments because we aren't perfect and so we still need the law. But with the law of grace, we don't have to give sacrifices. We don't have to earn our salvation. We love God and because that we obey the commandments that He's given us. Even when we think that it's not a big deal this one time. Even when we think God doesn't know what He's talking about. I need to trust that He loves me and can see the full picture and has His rules set up for my best.

Application:
Today, I will pray for humility and obedience. Sometimes I know that I can think that I can handle a situation on my own without listening to God but I know that because I love Him, I am to keep His commandments.

Update on IGNITE!

Hi Everybody!

I wanted to update you on how my time has been at IGNITE so far. Today marks 5 weeks since I arrived here in Antigua, Guatemala. These past 5 weeks have been insane and life changing and scary and so amazing that I can't even explain it. Let me explain a "normal" week schedule. For the most part, we are in class from 9-5 every day with a break for lunch. Classes are everything from discussing books we are reading to learning kids songs to learning Spanish to learning Inductive Bible Study to learning how to better teach Bible stories and even more. About two days a week, we take an hour or two to help out around the property(for example: raking, painting, cleaning, just anything that needs to get done). Sometimes we go to coffee shops or parks for classes for a change of scenery. On Wednesdays, we have Potter's Field Kid's Club. This is when the kids come and we give them lunch and play games and sing songs and teach them a Bible story and just hang out with them. It's seriously such a blessing and my favorite time of the week. Last week, a little two year old, her hand and mouth both stuffed with food, ran up to me with the biggest smile on her face and grabbed on to my hand and would not leave my side. Seriously, I am so blessed. :)

Now let me tell you about my class. There are 12 interns all together: nine girls and 3 guys(one married couple so 13 if you count both halves but they are one flesh :). God has turned us into a family and it is seriously the coolest thing ever. A couple of weeks ago, we got back to the Center from being out somewhere and one of the staff said, "Welcome home, guys!" and I, no joke, started crying happy tears. For at least the next two months, I am home, and this is my family and I am so blessed. We are all from such different places but so many of us have similar stories and experiences. The Potter's Field Staff is also the best.

Ok, so Inductive Bible Study. The first week we were here, Pastor Steve from Montana came down to teach us Inductive Bible Study. It was challenging but seriously the coolest study tool I have ever been given. If you don't know what Inductive Bible Study is it's kind of in the name. It is a way of studying the Bible word for word. Diving in. Taking it apart. Trying to find the full meaning. Observing it, interpreting it and then applying it to our lives. Some of you may have seen my IBS blogs that I've been putting up. We are given a verse for Monday-Friday to IBS according to our theme for the week and Monday-Thursday we share them in class and then at the end of the week we post them all on our blogs.

Just random facts that I think are awesome: where I live, I can see two volcanoes: Agua and Fuego. Fuego is active and Agua is dormant. And fireworks go off all the time. Last Saturday, ash "rained" from Fuego down on the city of Antigua for a few hours. It was crazy and we have been cleaning up from it ever since. My roommate Michaela says that it "Fuegoed". :)

When I got here, one of the first things I was told was that no one gets off this property alive. Obviously, they weren't talking physically. I came here to die to myself. Dead men have no rights. But I am alive in Christ. For me to live is Christ, to die is gain. Over these past 5 weeks, God has taught me so much. I had never realized how prideful I was. I had never realized how chained up I was. I had definitely never realized how selfish I was. But God has broken me, humbled me, shown me that I am free. He has shown me that I have a purpose. He made me His masterpiece for good works that He prepared beforehand(Eph 2:10)! How radical is that? I am so unworthy of His attention yet He designed me and has a plan for my life. I have been holding on so tightly to my plans and my timing and what I want but God has shown me that what He has planned is so much greater because He can see the whole tapestry at once whereas I just see the mess of tangled strings from the back and it doesn’t make any sense. I have been so blessed in these past 5 weeks beyond what I can even express and I know that this is just the beginning. Trust me, it hasn’t been all rainbows and butterflies. This is hard stuff. But it is so worth it. I know it will get even tougher but I will come out of it stronger. I just have to hold on to the One who hung the stars instead of trying to make everything work in my own strength.

Last weekend, we changed rooms and that was an adventure. It was a team building opportunity and we had to help each other. So now I have a new room and new room mates and I am so excited. We also went out to the market and made balloon animals for kids and the field interns did a mime to "Lead Me to the Cross".

Yesterday, we learned a mime(which most people know is kind of my jam :) to the song Dear Heart by Sanctus Real. I will try to upload the video this weekend. It was so much fun. This week our project is to learn End of the Beginning which I used to present all of the time so I am psyched.

Monday, I am co-leading a Women's Bible Study and my topic is patience. I am super excited. :)

Thank you so much for your prayers and support! I so appreciate it! Please keep reading my blogs to stay updated with what is going on over the next year and if you are just tuning in on this adventure, please go to the beginning of my blogs and read about what I'm doing.

-His servant

MaKayla <3 :)

Psalm 17:15 Inductive Bible Study: Contentment 2/13

Psalm 17:15 says, "As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness."

My ultimate goal is heaven. In the midst of the pain of this world, my hope is the day when I wake up in my glorified body in the likeness of God and see His Face. In the end, it doesn't matter what I have or don't have here on earth because when I get to heaven there will be no sorrow or pain and I will be praising God for eternity. I don't think satisfied even begins to explain what it will feel like to be in heaven. 

When I was a little girl, "I Can Only Imagine" by MercyMe was my favorite song on planet earth. I would sing all the parts by myself along to the radio and the album that the song was on was the first CD I ever got. So anyways, that song is talking about what it might be like to be in heaven. The chorus goes like this: "Surrounded by your glory, what will my heart feel? Will I dance for you Jesus? Or in awe of you be still? Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall? Will I sing Hallelujah? Will I be able to speak at all? I can only imagine when all I would do is forever worship you." 

Whatever it's like, I will be more than satisfied. I want to be content and grateful for everything that I have while I'm here because my eyes are on the Lord and my eternity in heaven. I absolutely by no means deserve that sort of future. But my Savior gave His perfect life so that I can spend my forever praising my Heavenly Daddy. How incredible is that? So what am I doing with what He has given me while I'm on earth? Am I content with what I have or am I grumbling and coveting? Do I have my eyes fixed on furthering His kingdom or my kingdom? 

So I know that I'm going but am I doing everything I can to tell everyone that I can the Good News so that they can see His face in righteousness and spend eternity praising Him too? I have this amazing hope for a future outside of this world of hurt and I want to share that hope. Life can get frustrating and I can focus on being discontent with what I have but I need to turn my eyes to heaven and realize that the Creator of the universe will never leave me or forsake me and that I will get to spend eternity with him. I honestly can't wait. 

Application:

I want to remember the promise of Heaven that I have been given whenever I get discouraged with the trials of this world. Today, I will memorize this verse and hang it up on my bed post.

Philippians 4:11 Inductive Study Bible: Contentment 2/12

Philippians 4:11 says, "Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content."

I love that Paul says that he learned to be content. It isn't in our nature to be content. It's natural for us to want what we don't have. We have to learn the art of being content. That makes me feel way better. Ok so the second awesome part of this verse is the fact that we are looking at a verse written be Paul. PAUL! He was brought so close to death so many times and then wrote this letter to the Philippians from prison. And he is talking about being content in whatever state He is in.

How much easier then, should it be for me to learn to be content. I've never been beaten almost to death or imprisoned. My trials and circumstances seem so insignificant when compared to Paul's. And even less when compared to Christ. Jesus was blameless. He never once did anything wrong yet tortured brutally, mocked, spat on, and crucified on a cross; the death of a criminal. And He didn't complain. He just took it all silently. Ok, I think I can deal with my situations and temptations and trials. Seriously, it's like a walk in the park.

So how do I learn to be content? I think it comes with getting the right perspective like I just did. I think it comes with the realization that God has a plan bigger than me. That He is taking care of me. Seriously, when it comes to realizing that, there is no longer any reason to be discontent. There is a purpose for the situation that I am in. God will provide for my needs. What else is there to need? I'm taken care of. Sometimes I get caught up in being overwhelmed in what the future brings but I need to be content in just knowing the next steps for here and now. It can be hard because I forget that God's plan for me is like a huge tapestry. I can only see the tangled mess of strings from the back. I can get frustrated because it doesn't look like anything but from above, it's beautiful. It's completed. I need to remember that My God is the Creator of the universe. Honestly, knowing that, how dare I be discontent? He takes care of everything. I just need to trust Him and learn to be content.

Application:
Today, I will memorize this verse and pray for contentment even in trials.

Hebrews 13:5 Inductive Bible Study: Contentment 2/11

Hebrews 13:5 says, "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So we may boldly say: "The Lord is my Helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"

(The verse assigned to me was Hebrews 13:5 but I decided to add 6 as well.)

When I'm not focused on the things above, it's easy to get discontent. It's easy to focus on me. It's oh so easy to covet what others have. Even if it's their gifts or talents or testimonies or walks with God. That may seem silly but I find myself comparing my walk with other people's walks. It's easy to do. But when I get wrapped up in discontentment and wanting what I don't have, all I get is bitterness and frustration and negativity. Nothing good comes from it. It doesn't improve the situation. It doesn't fix it. It doesn't change it. It doesn't make me have other gifts or a different testimony or a closer walk with God. It pushes me even further from Him.

I need to focus on the fact that God has a perfect plan for my life. If I give it to Him, He is going to use the situation and struggle that I am facing right now to further His kingdom. And if I don't surrender it, He will find someone else to use. But His Will will be done, with or without me. I'd rather it be with me. I cannot change my circumstances. I cannot change what  I have or do not have. So what good does it do to be discontent anyways? It will just make me angry and bitter. My God is the God that provides all I need from day to day. He will NEVER leave me nor forsake me. He is my Helper. I will NOT fear. Man cannot do anything to me that God cannot protect me from. I can say that boldly.

No matter what I have or do not have, whatever situation I am going through, I am told to be content. I am not to focus on the things in front of me anyways but on the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. I am told rejoice in the Lord always. I will rejoice. I will be content.

Application:
Today, I will memorize Hebrews 13:5-6 and hang them up in my room so that I can remember that I don't even have a reason to be discontent or to covet because my God never leaves me and He is my Helper. I will always have everything that I need.

Luke 3:14 Inductive Bible Study: Contentment 2/10

Luke 3:14 says, "Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, "And what shall we do?" So he said to them, "Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages."

Matthew 6:33-34 says, "But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness , and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

So to put this in context, John the Baptist is talking to a bunch of people that wanted to be baptized and thought they were saved because they were from the line of Abraham but they weren't living right. So the tax collectors and soldiers and the rest of the people started asking him what they should do. This verse is his response to the soldiers. In this verse, the word intimidate literally means shake down for money. He is basically telling them not to be greedy, to be fair, to be content with what they get and not try to take more than what they are suppose to.

In this world, everyone is always interested in what they can get, however they can get it. They want that new job opening no matter who they have to push down on the way to the "top". We want the best story, no matter who it might hurt. We want the biggest, the brightest, the next best. No matter what. It's all about us and what we can get. And when we get it, we want whatever comes next. We want whatever someone else has. We want the new biggest best thing in technology, cars, clothes, jobs. Anything and everything. The world doesn't have the word content in its vocabulary anymore. Lust, envy and jealousy takes over wherever contentment should be.

Even Christians get caught up in this. Most of the time we don't even think about it. It's just the "natural" process of things. It's what we're used to. This shouldn't be. We need to break this cycle of wanting what we don't have. I know that even Christians get caught up in wanting to advance in their job so they do whatever is asked of them even if it means being dishonest. Or they want a new position so they slander coworkers so that they can get it instead. We should be trusting that God is taking care of us and not be trying to manipulate situations according to the world. If we trust in Him, He will provide. You don't have to make it work on your own. So be content with what He has given you and be generous and He will bless you with even more. In a world concerned with getting ahead and getting whatever we don't have, I want to be content. I am so blessed with whatever I have because I don't deserve to have anything.

Application:
Today, I will memorize Matthew 6:33-34.

1 Timothy 6:6-8 Inductive Bible Study: Contentment 2/9

1 Timothy 6:6-8 says, "Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content."

Matthew 6:19 says, "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Matthew 6:26 says, "Look at the birds of the air for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"

Matthew 16:26 says, "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?"

I have realized that I can be discontent with God's plans for me. I want what I want, when I want it. I can be overwhelmed with what is going on and just want it to go away. I want God to change His plans. I would like to tell God my plans for life. I would like to let Him know that He must not know what He's doing. I just can't handle what He's doing with me. It's too much. I am unworthy, I don't deserve it. I would rather hold onto my old ways and just do my worldly things and hang onto my plans. So, thanks, God, for having that cool plan and all but that is just a lot. I'm good but, I'm gonna go to Tarshish instead. Ninevah seems way too overwhelming.

Ok, so as ridiculous as that sounds, sometimes that how I subconsciously feel. God is obviously starting a good work in my life that I don't even understand right now as it's happening. I am so undeserving but He has chosen me. All I have to do is die to myself and follow Him. It can be hard but it is way worth it. But the part of me that has to die doesn't so much like the dying part. It thinks that losing it's soul is worth it for the price of the world but furthering the Kingdom and spending eternity in heaven praising God is so much more worth it.

I came into this world with nothing and I am leaving this world with nothing. The only way I can have anything after I die is if I store up my treasures in heaven. If my treasure is invested in the world that's where my heart will be. God takes care of birds that can't take care of themselves long term. Why can't I trust Him to take care of me? Why can't I trust His plans? It really does me no good to become the most successful person in the whole world if I had to trade my soul for it. I want to be completely content with Christ. He sacrificed His life for me. Even though I am a sinner, He looked at me and still decided that He loved me enough to die for me. He didn't want me to be separated from the Father. He wanted me to have full access to God and to spend eternity in Heaven with Him. He has an amazing plan for my life. It won't always seem amazing. Sometimes it will hurt. Sometimes it will look really hard. But He will provide exactly what I need and I need to trust that and be content with exactly what I have.

Application:
Today, I will memorize Matthew 6:19.

Hebrews 6:12 Inductive Bible Study: Perseverance 2/6

Hebrews 6:11-12 says, "(And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end), that you do not become sluggish but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises."

(The verse that I was given was 6:12 but I wanted to add 11 because it helped it make a little more sense.)

Hebrews 10:36 says, "For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise."

 Hebrews 12:1-2 says, "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

To put this verse in context, it comes at the end of a passage about how the author is confident for good things concerning them because they will be rewarded for their hard work and perseverance and then it comes in to remind them to not become sluggish but keep enduring and follow the examples of the people of faith that have inherited the promises before them. When it says to show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, I think it's saying that they have been doing a good job enduring but the author wants to encourage them to keep going all the way to the end. Without faith and patience, they won't make it to the end and they won’t inherit the promises(Hebrews 10:36-38, Colossians 3:24).

Sometimes trials feel like they take too long. Sometimes I want to tell God my plans and ask Him to change His timing. "But God, don't you think I've learned what I need to? Don't you think I've dealt with this long enough?"  God knows what He's doing. If I can still even be thinking things like that, it means that I haven't learned what I need to. Maybe I learned something in the trials but I still find myself leaning on my strength and my knowledge.

I injured my hip last May and that turned my plans upside down. I was supposed to be leaving in July for IGNITE and here I was in so much pain that some days I could barely walk. And then I started dealing with doctors with god complexes that just made things worse and at the beginning of July I was worse off then when I had originally gotten injured. This time was extremely frustrating to me. I felt like God called me to go to IGNITE and now I was in extreme pain and I couldn't go to IGNITE yet(again) and if I would have gotten the right treatment I could have gone and now I couldn't even barely work to earn money for IGNITE. It took a lot of patience and now that I'm here, I'm just now beginning to understand how perfect His timing is. He wanted me to be here right now for a purpose. I have to trust Him. He is so much smarter than me. His ways are not my ways and His thoughts are not my thoughts, they are so much higher than mine(Isaiah 55:8-9).

I'm still in a lot of pain from my injury and sometimes that can be frustrating but I know that God has a plan. I'm beginning to see that it might be His way of reminding me to lean on Him for strength when I get too confident on my own. It's hard to be prideful and overly confident when you walk with a limp.

The remnant of my hip injury is just a small trial that I am dealing with right now but it gets discouraging. I'm worthless on the missions field. How am I going to play with kids or help with serving projects? God can't use me when I have this injury. Well, you know what I've realized God can't use? That attitude. All I'm doing is focusing on me and my weakness. I need to give it to Him and ask Him to strengthen me with His might according to His glorious power.

It's kind of funny to reference Hebrews 12:1 and then talk about my hip injury but endurance doesn't stop applying to me when I can't run anymore. In fact, it might apply even more. When I have a physical injury and I feel like I am worthless to God, that's for sure when I need endurance. I love that Hebrews 12:2 talks about Jesus. Jesus needed endurance when He faced the cross. He understands endurance better than we ever will. And now He is at the right hand of God. And I am promised eternity with God. This life, these trials, they are just a blink of an eye compared to the promise of eternal life with my almighty Creator.

Application:

I don't want to become sluggish. I want to have diligence and endurance to the end. I want to inherit the promise. Today I'm going to hang up Hebrews 10:36 on my wall so that when I get discouraged I can be encouraged to have endurance.

Revelation 1:9 Inductive Bible Study: Perseverance 2/5

Revelation 1:9 says, "I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ."

Ok, let's just dive into this one. John was writing to the churches in Asia as their brother and companion in tribulation and in God's Kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ. He says in the tribulation. I think for Christians we automatically start thinking about the end time Tribulation that we talk about but Paul says in Acts 14:22  that as Christ Followers we will go through many tribulations before we enter God's kingdom. Then, John starts talking about how he was on the island of Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. John was being imprisoned at Patmos for sharing the Gospel. But obviously that didn't stop him. He was still being used when he was in prison to share the testimony of Christ because he wrote the book of Revelation.

Ok so what does this have to do with perseverance and how does it relate to me? Well, John had to persevere a whole lot. Each phase of his life was a new set of trials. He went through a LOT of persecution for Jesus. He persevered a lot.

The things that I deal with as trials and temptation can't even compare to what John and the other disciples endured for Jesus. The amazing thing is that they didn't complain. Some of them asked for it to be taken away but in the end they were willing to do anything in God's will. I want to follow that example. I want to be so committed to Christ like He was committed to me. I want to be able to honestly say that I would go to the ends of the earth and even death to spread God's word to those who need to hear it. I think that death is probably not the hardest part to endure but the torture. When I die, I get to see Jesus. But while I'm still here on earth, pain is definitely not my favorite. But I love Jesus. I know that God loves me and created the universe and He wants everyone to know about Him. I have that truth and I know that it's my job as a Christ follower to share that truth with everyone that I can, no matter what that means for me. No matter what discomfort it brings. Ok so I don't know if I will die for my faith but I want to at least be willing.

Now let's look at this from a different angle. I know that being in a different country, I gave up a lot of material comfort that I was used to. They were dumb shallow things but still things that took small sacrifices like warm showers, favorite foods, sleeping in my own room and so on. It makes me feel pathetic even saying that. Seriously? John was boiled in oil and then when that didn't work he was imprisoned for the rest of his life on an island. Peter was imprisoned several times and then crucified upside down. Stephen was stoned. The list goes on. And really? I can even think of going to a new country, taking cold showers and eating new foods as a sacrifice??? Oh again, how I am faced with my selfishness… Ok well I know that I will face persecution. I will face trials and temptation. And John calls me a companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ. That is comforting. God obviously gave him the amazing power that Paul talks about in Colossians 1:11. If John calls me his companion in this tribulation then that just further affirms that if I ask for it, I can have God's strength to persevere through anything He needs me to for His name.

Application:

I am going to pray for an emptying of self so that I will be able to willingly do whatever God asks me to for His name.

Colossians 1:11 Insuctive Bible Study: Perseverance 2/4

Colossians 1:11 says, "Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy."

I think it's awesome that this verse says that we should be strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power.  Well, for one it says all might and then we realize that Paul is talking about Christ's power in us. That is a LOT of power. Also, it's according to HIS glorious power. This means that we don't have to work in our own strength at all but in God's power. How insane is that?

God told Joshua to be strong 3 times when Moses died and He was going to be leading the Israelites(Josh 1:6-9). God repeated it 3 times probably because He knew that Joshua would be afraid that he wouldn’t have the strength to lead the Israelites. God wasn't commanding him to be strong in his own power but I think He was reminding Joshua to go to Him for strength. He was reminding him that he wouldn't be able to be strong on his own.

Ok so, now for the second half of the verse. To put this verse in context, Paul is talking to the new Christians at the Colossian church. This verse is in the middle of a list of things that he is praying that they be filled with. So he prays for strength, and then endurance and patience and joy. It seems to me that he is praying for endurance, patience and joy as a package deal. Now, let's look at why this might be.

I think that to have endurance you need patience and both of these should come with joy even when joy is the last thing on your mind. There are times when it is really hard to endure and persevere through trials. That's one of the reasons that as a Christian we need to most definitely have God's might and power in us and not be trying to work with our own strength. We can sure try to persevere with our own strength, but I can guarantee that we will get tired very quickly.

Trials can seem like they last forever sometimes and we feel like we have persevered but we just want the trial to be over already. That's where the patience comes in. We can't see the big picture. We don't know why we are going through this. But as followers of Christ we have a promise that all things will work out for our good(Romans 8:28). We just have to endure it with patience and trust in His timing, purpose and plan.

Now for the joy. This seems random to me but I think that joy is just a part of following Christ. Rejoice in the Lord always(Phil.4:4)! There is no justification that comes after saying only when you feel like it. It says ALWAYS! Even when we feel like we are at the end of our rope. Even when we have to be patient and we just want to give up. God created me and gave me a purpose. No matter what I am going through, that alone should be a reason to rejoice always.

Application:

I know that in these next 9 months, I will face trials, and temptation and I will need patience and there will be so many times where I will not want to be joyful anymore. Today, I am going to pray that God prepares my heart and gives me His strength to persevere with patience and rejoice always.

Luke 21:19 Inductive Bible Study: Perseverance 2/3

Luke 21:19 says, "Stand firm and you will win life."

Philippians 1:21 says, "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain."

In the verses leading up to Luke 21:19, Jesus is telling the disciples that they will be persecuted and betrayed even by their families and some will even be killed for their faith. So what does He mean when He says, "Stand firm and you will win life." I don't think He's talking about our physical lives when He says we will "win life". I think He's talking about the same type of idea that Paul talks about in Philippians 1:21. To be in Christ is to live. We have eternal live with Him, even when we physically die.

Being persecuted is basically a promise to Christians who spread the Good News and live for Christ(Luke 21:12). So the question is, will I persevere through persecution even to the point of willingly giving my life for Christ? Or will I get scared and fall back into the ways of the world so that I don't get mocked and persecuted for my faith.

Ok let's simplify persecution. Persecution means to pursue with harassing or oppressive treatment. Or to annoy or trouble persistently. So persecution doesn't have to only refer to people dying for their faith. That's the extreme end of it. Persecution can simply be when you tell someone about Jesus and they mock you for it. Or when you have your Bible at your job and it gets you in trouble.

I know that a lot of times I have given in to peer pressure persecution. I knew that people would judge me for what I believe so I hide my faith so that I can "fit in". Seriously? Jesus died on the cross for my sins so that I don't have to go to hell and I can have a personal relationship with the Creator of the universe and I don't tell people about it because I'm afraid of getting mocked? Jesus was mocked, ridiculed, beaten, tortured, and then crucified and He was perfect. He never deserved any of it. But I, who am so deserving of eternal damnation have been given grace but am too worried about my social status to tell anyone about it? I don't want that to be how I live anymore. I need to be worried about how many people don't know the truth and how they are going to spend eternity. I don't want to fret about earthly things like fitting in. I want to stand out. I want people to see Jesus in me. I want to stand firm. It doesn't matter if I'm mocked by a few or even if I lose my life. The eternal life that I will win in Christ is so much more worth it. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Application:

Today, I will tape Philippians 1:21 to my wall to help me keep the right perspective on Who I am living for.

Luke 8:11-15 Inductive Bible Study: Perseverance 2/2

Luke 8:11-15 says, "This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear; and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not  believe and be saved. Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop."

Romans 5:4-5 says, "Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance character; and character, hope."

James 1:2-4 says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

Luke 8:11-15 is Jesus' explanation for the Parable of the Soils. The Sower sowed his seeds and they fell on all different types of ground: the path, the rocks, the thorns and the good soil. Jesus then explains that the seed is the Bible. Ok, so for what this means for us. I think that the common theme between the different people that Jesus describes that didn’t last in the faith is that they had no endurance. They had no perseverance in trials.

Some just didn't want to hear the Word at all. I think a lot of times people don't want to hear the truth because if they believe, it means they will have to make a change in their lives and they think that the life they have is good enough. My heart breaks for these because I so wish that I could share the hope and joy that I have in Christ and that it is so much more satisfying than anything the world has to offer me.

Some seem like they produce great fruit at first and they are excited about the Truth that they have found but as soon as life gets hard and temptation comes, they fall away. They might get scared and go back to the ways that they are used to. Oh, if they could just hold on! The joy they would find!

Some hear the Word but then get overwhelmed by life's worries. They are in love with money and worldly pleasures and aren't willing to give them up. Again, I am sad for these because if they just persevered, they would find such joy and peace in Jesus. Not an easy life; but still a life of love and fulfillment and purpose.

Then, some hear the Truth, with a noble and good heart, retain it and because they persevere, their lives bear fruit. It never says that they will have an easy life. That is not something the Bible ever promises. It says that they need to persevere which indicates that they will face trials. But the Bible gives us tools to face trials with. Promises and hope and purpose. So because they see these promises and the hope for a life better than the one they have and the God bigger than their problems, they persevere past the trials and temptation and their lives bear the fruit of it.

I know that there have been seasons in my life where I have been like each of the grounds. I don't want to be like that anymore. I don't want to pick up my dead man. I don't want to fall back on the habits of the world. I want to persevere through trials. I want to have joy in times of testing because I know that they make me progress in my faith and become closer to my Jesus. Even Jesus faced temptation(Matt. 4:1-11). I want to have the character that comes out of the perseverance in temptation and trials. I want to be who God wants me to be even when I'm by myself and I think no one will find out and that it's not a big deal if I give in to temptation this one time. I know and God knows and that's what matters.

Application:

I know that Romans 5:4-5 is true and that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance character; and character, hope.  I want to hold on through hard times and temptation so that my character will be more like Jesus. Today, I will memorize Romans 5:4-5.