Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."
Joshua 1: 7-9
What is God trying to tell you?
In this passage God is telling us several things. He starts with emphasizing the importance of following his rules and studying The Bible. Then he goes on to say that if we do this we will have nothing to fear because he will always be with us.
Going into my first year of college this fall I was very afraid that I might stray away from God and struggle with my faith. There are a lot of temptations and it’s all too easy follow the crowd and slip away from Him. After bringing this up at my church one of my friends told me about this verse and it really helped realize everything was going to be ok.
Throughout our lives we all encounter times where we get overwhelmed and feel like we won’t be able to do something. The key to this is realizing God is all powerful and there is nothing that he can’t do. If we just follow his word he will always be with us and helping us every step of the way.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Who can Bear a Crushed Spirit? by Joe Bailey
Proverbs 15:30 – A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health.
I recently received an e-mail from the university which said, “According to the 2010 American College Health Association National College Health Assessment, 26.6 percent of UW-Whitewater students reported feeling so depressed they couldn’t function.” Reading this, I was completely caught off guard by that very high number. As Proverbs 17:22 says – “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.” and Proverbs 18:14 says “The human spirit can endure a sick body, but who can bear a crushed spirit?”
We ALL struggle from stress at times, but often we can be blinded to how evident these problems are in other’s lives and even our own. The people of Whitewater desperately need God’s peace, rest, and joy. I believe we have all felt the way David does in Psalm 142:1-7,
“I look for someone to come and help me, but no one gives me a passing thought! No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me. Then I pray to you, O Lord. I say “You are my place of refuge. You are all I really want in life. Hear my cry for I am very low. Rescue me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me. Bring me out of prison so I can thank you. The godly will crowd around me for you are good to me.”
As Christians we ought to take this attitude David had, and turn these distraught people to God for their rescue. We are definitely called to love, but how much greater is the love of Jesus Christ?
Hebrews 4:16 – So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
I recently received an e-mail from the university which said, “According to the 2010 American College Health Association National College Health Assessment, 26.6 percent of UW-Whitewater students reported feeling so depressed they couldn’t function.” Reading this, I was completely caught off guard by that very high number. As Proverbs 17:22 says – “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.” and Proverbs 18:14 says “The human spirit can endure a sick body, but who can bear a crushed spirit?”
We ALL struggle from stress at times, but often we can be blinded to how evident these problems are in other’s lives and even our own. The people of Whitewater desperately need God’s peace, rest, and joy. I believe we have all felt the way David does in Psalm 142:1-7,
“I look for someone to come and help me, but no one gives me a passing thought! No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me. Then I pray to you, O Lord. I say “You are my place of refuge. You are all I really want in life. Hear my cry for I am very low. Rescue me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me. Bring me out of prison so I can thank you. The godly will crowd around me for you are good to me.”
As Christians we ought to take this attitude David had, and turn these distraught people to God for their rescue. We are definitely called to love, but how much greater is the love of Jesus Christ?
Hebrews 4:16 – So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Abide in Me by Owen Cooper
We have a huge sunflower in our garden right now. I enjoy watching the flower follow the path of the sun throughout the day. This week, Joseph and I were out looking at the giant leaves of the sunflower. They all looked very green and healthy. I broke one leaf off and we took it inside to see what it would look like. After a few days, it was dry and yellow and wilted.
Every summer we watch the tree leaves grow and flourish and provide for us wonderful shade. Then in the fall, as it gets colder, the leaves stop growing, lose their vibrant green and eventually fall off the branches. We are like leaves on God’s tree. God desires for us to grow in Him and be nurtured by His Spirit. But we can’t do that if we’re not connected to Him. Nor can we grow if we’re connected to Him but refuse to accept His life-giving Spirit in our lives. What color is your leaf? Are you a fresh bud growing by leaps and bounds every day? Do you have a vibrant, mature, steady growth about you? Have you stopped growing, living off your previous growth? Or are you lying dormant waiting for God to stir your Spirit anew?
Jesus said, "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. (John 15:4-5)
Every summer we watch the tree leaves grow and flourish and provide for us wonderful shade. Then in the fall, as it gets colder, the leaves stop growing, lose their vibrant green and eventually fall off the branches. We are like leaves on God’s tree. God desires for us to grow in Him and be nurtured by His Spirit. But we can’t do that if we’re not connected to Him. Nor can we grow if we’re connected to Him but refuse to accept His life-giving Spirit in our lives. What color is your leaf? Are you a fresh bud growing by leaps and bounds every day? Do you have a vibrant, mature, steady growth about you? Have you stopped growing, living off your previous growth? Or are you lying dormant waiting for God to stir your Spirit anew?
Jesus said, "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. (John 15:4-5)
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...by Samantha Ruehl
How long do you spend in front of the mirror looking at yourself and all the things you wish you could change? Do you ever wish you looked like that supermodel on TV, flawless in every way shape and form? If you have then you are like a lot of people in this world, including myself. The other day I was feeling bad about my appearance, feeling like I’d never live up to the world’s standard of beauty, so I turned to God, the only One I knew could help me. I said a little prayer asking God to speak to me, to heal me of the pain I was feeling, then I opened my Bible and God brought me to the verse1 Samuel 16:7 and it says, “…The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." I was reminded that I am not here to live by the world’s standards but by God’s standards and He looks on the inside. I was remind that I should be spending all the time I am worrying about the outside and put it towards making who I am on the inside better.
The media makes us believe that everything depends on the size of the clothes we wear, the color of our hair, the condition of our wardrobe, and how much flawless skin were showing. But nothing could be further from the truth. What is important is pleasing our Father in Heaven. We can please Him by making our intentions pure and our actions just, by focusing on making our hearts right, and by living by His standards alone.
The media makes us believe that everything depends on the size of the clothes we wear, the color of our hair, the condition of our wardrobe, and how much flawless skin were showing. But nothing could be further from the truth. What is important is pleasing our Father in Heaven. We can please Him by making our intentions pure and our actions just, by focusing on making our hearts right, and by living by His standards alone.
Working for the Lord by Samantha Ruehl
Colossians 3:23-24 (New International Version)
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Sometimes the work-loads of life can leave us feeling stressed and unmotivated. As a junior in college I have felt this many times. College can be very difficult and boring. Often times we have to learn a lot of stuff outside of our majors that we could really care less about. Not only do most of us have lots of school work but we also have jobs, maybe you’re like me and have three. The other day I was feeling stressed and unmotivated when I came across Colossians 3:23-24, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” I realized that God calls us to do our best not just for ourselves or others but for His glory. When I find myself not giving it my all I am reminded of this verse and find purpose and peace in the work I am doing. So remember work is a noble calling and when you do your work well God notices, even when no one else does.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Sometimes the work-loads of life can leave us feeling stressed and unmotivated. As a junior in college I have felt this many times. College can be very difficult and boring. Often times we have to learn a lot of stuff outside of our majors that we could really care less about. Not only do most of us have lots of school work but we also have jobs, maybe you’re like me and have three. The other day I was feeling stressed and unmotivated when I came across Colossians 3:23-24, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” I realized that God calls us to do our best not just for ourselves or others but for His glory. When I find myself not giving it my all I am reminded of this verse and find purpose and peace in the work I am doing. So remember work is a noble calling and when you do your work well God notices, even when no one else does.
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