As of recent, my priorities have been out of place and I have been forced to re-evaluate what is truly important in my life. A question that has been on my mind is: what is the Christian life composed of? Pre-pandemic, I was focused on work and school and I structured my entire life around those two things and the small amount of extra time that I was able to focus on other pursuits. The pandemic has delivered an excess of time and so I began to fill it with all of the things that I felt like doing. I was thrilled to finally have time to read and watch tv shows that I had been missing out on ..read more

If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. Psalm 130:3-4 God is the only one that is holy and perfect and so he is the only one who has the right to judge us. The psalmist in this verse asks rhetorically, who can stand? Obviously, no one can stand beside the holiness of God. The good works that we offer God are dirty rags in his eyes. Holiness is unattainable for humans because we are born into sin and will choose sin over His goodness. Even though he is able to judge our sins and has right cause to strike us down ..read more

For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? Matthew 5:46 I used to think that if I were to carry out kindness toward everyone, that would be enough to mimic God’s love so that I would be able to share it with others. Unfortunately, superficial kindness is not enough. God calls us to love everyone, not like the world loves, but like he loves. 1 Corinthians, the chapter of love, gives Christians a portrait of what love is in the eyes of God: Love is… - patient - kind - does not envy or boast - not arrogant or rude - does not insist on its ..read more

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2. There are so many distractions in our world all vying for our attention! We are constantly being barraged by information, ads, emotions, and the media. Recently, in my life, I have fe ..read more

There are many times in my life that I do not feel worthy. I get so caught up in comparison that I lose sight of any worth I might have had. Or else I meditate on my past and decide that I don’t deserve the friends or job that I have. I recently came across something that challenged me in Philippians 1:27, “ Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ”. And later says, “To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power” -2nd Thessalonians 1:11 We exhorted each one of ..read more

I have only included a few promises about us in this post, but the bible is full of many more truths that God says about us. If you are overwhelmed by the adverse lies of this world, look to find your identity in the promises of God. · We are forgiven… “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” 1John 1:9 “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land” 2 Chronicles 7:14 · And re ..read more

Joshua 23:14, “And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed”. It is so important to focus on the things that God has promised us. His promises are a firm foundation in this time to turmoil and uncertainty. We can cling to what he says because it will never fail. PROMISES ABOUT GOD: · He is good “For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all ge ..read more

In 1965, a scientist named Martin Seligman began performing experiments on dogs. He would ring a bell and then shock the dogs with electricity. Once they were conditioned to associate the bell with the pain of the shock, they were put into a box divided in half with a small fence. The scientists would ring the bell, and instead of jumping over the fence to get away from the expected shock, the dog would freeze. The dog could have just jumped over the fence, but he laid down and accepted what was happening to him. The scientist who performed this experiment, Martin Seligman, called this learned ..read more

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud William Wordsworth I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the milky way, They stretched in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay: Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. The waves beside them danced; but they Out-did the sparkling waves in glee: A poet could not but be gay, In such a jocund company: I gazed—and gaz ..read more

Renewal means to take up again, restore, or replenish. This definition focuses on the meaning of renew, and does not cover the true beauty of this word. The bible uses this word to mean a complete regeneration of our minds and hearts. God is not simply restoring us, but he is bringing his people back to himself by renewing our minds and hearts. He is completely restoring us to himself and making us into a new creation. Ezekiel 11:19 captures this renewal perfectly when it says, “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and g ..read more