Peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers....

Peter
~A disciple of Christ. His name means "rock". Thought to be unpretentious, honest, open.. Martyred for His faith. It is even thought that when he was killed, upon his request he wanted to be upside down because he did not see himself honorable enough to die in the same position as his master Jesus Christ.
In 2 Peter, he writes about how so many believers are seeking an abundance of grace from God, but deny themselves the knowledge of who the Lord is and what His Word is. We have everything we need to live a godly life- we have the most amazing book designed to guide us and teach us, we live in a society where we can freely express our faith, God has gifted so many in wise counsel that we can seek out, and of course we have the ability to walk and talk with God everyday, all day. So why are we still struggling to live godly lives? Why do we think we should receive blessings and grace when we have done nothing and put forth zero effort to get to know our creator?
Peter tells us to make every effort to respond to God's promises that we can escape from the world's corruption and human desires because of His glory and excellence. It is true that God desires faith, but faith needs to be more than just believing in the facts of the Bible, but it should result in action-- growing in our characters as children of God- learning more of who His character is so that we can strive to be like Jesus. We should also practice, practice, practice-- we need discipline! We need to know God better- just like if you want to play a sport better, you have to practice so you are familiar with all the plays, names of the plays, how they operate, how they can be used against you, etc..
Peter goes on to tell us that the more we grow like this, the more productive and useful we will be in our knowledge of the Lord-- He says to work hard to prove that we are the chosen ones! More specifically, what really sparked a familiarity for me, was when he says that we should live like this with discipline, seeking knowledge, etc, so that we don't make up stories!! What an influence we have on people we placed in high regard as believers and teachers-- what we say makes a difference!! So let's not get it wrong and teach as false teachers.. but appear and be as we really know who Christ is, let it be obvious we have been spending time with Him.

I was incredibly challenged by the words of Peter... We learn so much from Christ's disciples and we should strive to be like them as well. Oh, we can't forget- since this is my favorite part of all scripture-- we are reminded to LOVE others! yay, love:)

Above all else...

I messed up. I had been working so hard to show my faith, my integrity, my devotion to the Lord... and tonight, because I am human, I messed it all up. I handled a situation completely by myself- and utterly destroyed it. I have particularly been trying to minister to someone, and I let my frustration get the best of me. Now, I gotta fix it...

I am broken... God showed up in a very real way to me tonight. I feel like I could just see the look on His face, the disappointment- as if He was saying, "My child, let me take this one... the way it should have been from the beginning.."

I feel so let down.. once again. People have an amazing ability to disappoint each other and really screw things up. All I want to do is ignore the situation.. but God wants me to keep on showing love. I cannot give up. He wants me to keep on loving, even though I feel like I am out of love-- this is the time I need Him the most. I am so frustrated.. I can minister to people I barely know.. giving them advice and I am able to point them to the cross, but for my own roommate, my best friend, I have no words. All that separates us is a wall- but it feels like a 1000 miles. I want nothing more than for her to experience the fullness of God, how great His love for her is... How worthy she is in His eyes, how much talent and beauty He's given her that He wants to USE! My heart is so broken for her... and now- when given a time I could minister to her, I allow my own selfishness to let me be upset and I screw it all up.

I know with God's help the situation can be turned around and He can find His glory and can bring good... I am just searching for wisdom. How can I show her more of who Christ was and is, and apologize for my human stupidity... I can't give up, even though I am frustrated.
*So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up. Gal. 6:9*

Praying for patience.. the ability to love. love. love. with His love. Tonight I was reminded that people remain somewhere because they feel loved-- My desire is to make this life appealing because of the love Christ has given me and the love I can now give others...

Meet me here

Sometimes people, myself included, question the goodness of God. We dwell so much in the chaos and sufferings we are enduring momentarily and cannot see the goodnes of our Father. Sometimes we may think that our God is one who is a God of punishment or torture because of the hardships in our lives-- that is absurd! God is for us-- He wants us to enjoy this life, to immerse ourselves in all the beauty that He created for us. In James we are reminded that when troubles come our way to consider it an opportunity for great joy. Often God is testing our faith to strengthen and develop our endurance. Also- it is not if troubles come our way, but when troubles come our way to carry on with a good heart and a positive outlook in mind.

This time of year many people become some overwhelmed with the burdens of life... like grades, finals, choosing colleges, family/job/financial issues.. etc.. I had a meaningful (I hope) conversation with a friend the other night.. My heart was just overtaken by her stress and the pain she has right now. She was so filled with doubt, a sense of lost hope and faith, and just didn't know what to do. We are going to encounter times like this when we cannot see what is front of us and cannot decipher God's will for our lives... my advice- ask God for wisdom! Seek his WORD, seek counsel from those who know the Lord well, and meditate on His scripture in prayer and praise. God is committed to doing something good in each of our lives! Be intentional with your relationship with God...

I love how everyday has a new lesson and we can never stop learning. Lately, God has been blessing my relationships with people.. blessing the conversations so that He can find glory even there! I have found myself worshipping God during my talks with people, it's incredible. I'm amazed at how you can be praising God and having an intimate meeting with Him just by sharing your heart with someone and listening to theirs. Have a desire to meet God wherever, no matter, where you are and He will! He starts showing up in the most random places and speaking to your heart.. He simply wants this to be your desire!!

Be intentional with your relationships, be encouraged, stand in your faith because when everything else is stripped away we cannot be robbed of our faith or our hope.. Ask Him to meet you!! And endure His goodness... be satisfied in Him- find His place in your suffering and surely He will guide you out.


Meeting the Famous One...