Colossians 2:6-15
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in Him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him.
----
This passage makes me cry. God is SO good, and SO faithful. I am constantly in awe of His wonderful mercy and goodness to me. Even though I don't deserve it at all, He has forgiven me. Thank You, my wonderful, marvelous Savior!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
New Blog.
Hey all, I have a new blog that I'm starting for the summer, in order to document the things that I'm going to be doing at camp. So if you want to follow it, you're more than welcome to, and I would like y'all to! :)
<3
Here's the link:
www.bethsummer2009.blogspot.com
<3
Here's the link:
www.bethsummer2009.blogspot.com
Monday, May 25, 2009
Frustration.
Okay, I know that it's 11 at night, but I just REALLY want to rant right now. I don't even think this blog is going to be very long at all, but we'll see how it goes.
I was having a discussion with a friend that I went to high school with tonight, and she has always been skinny. I graduated with 4 other girls in my class, and all of them had completely flat stomachs. I was the only one who had some fat on her tummy. (This is something that I was very self-conscious of for a while, but I have come to accept it - just fyi.)
As I was talking with her tonight, she mentioned to me that she "really needs to go on a diet." She declared that her stomach had turned into a belly, and she wasn't happy with it. Therefore, she was going to go on a diet in order to get rid of that extra stuff.
Okay. This is where my ranting comes in.
ARE YOU SERIOUS?! A girl that has always been skinny has gained a little bit of weight, and she's freaking out about 5 extra vanity pounds. K. I'll be honest in saying that sometimes I do wish that I had a completely flat stomach since I have never had that before and it would be nice not to have that extra junk. However, I figure that if I just exercise and eat healthy (which is probably one reason I haven't lost this weight since I don't really do that so much..) then there's nothing else that I need to do. I really believe that unless it is for health issues or extreme obesity, people should not have to resort to dieting. A lot of this is because dieting deprives the body of essential nutrients that it really needs, all for the sake of getting rid of a couple pounds. Also, a huge reason for women to start dieting is simply because they feel insecure about themselves and their bodies.
GAH. This makes me angry. Sure, I'm insecure more often than I should be, but when it comes down to it, I know that I have been created by an amazing God, and that He loves me just the way I am. And the only reason I have insecurities is because I have given into the lies that the Devil has been feeding me. I've been listening to the world and thinking that I need to look just like the women in magazines or I need to be skinny in order to have a guy notice me.
These things are straight from the pit of hell. God created each and every single person beautiful in their own way, and it is only because of the perversion of the world that we have begun to compare ourselves and think that we're not good enough for whatever reason.
I am just so fed up with this, because women do not need to go on diets to lose a mere 5 or even 10 pounds. All they need to do is exercise and eat healthy. I am fully convinced of this. Because if they do not lose the weight then, then there's nothing else to do and then we should be content with the bodies that God has given us.
Matt was right tonight when he told me that we live in a "self-worship" culture. It is so true. We become so obsessed with what we look like and how we appear to others that we forget what is really important in life.
And I am accusing myself just as much as any other person that may read this. Because I know that I definitely have a ton of pitfalls and failings and I give in to the world WAY too much. But it is something that I am really striving to change.
A Message to Girls:
If you are just looking to lose a few pounds because you're self-conscious of how your stomach, thighs, butt, legs, etc. look, then do not diet. Just change your exercise routine and eat healthier. Check your motives for wanting to lose weight. Is it to treat your body as a temple of the Holy Spirit and to give all the glory to God, or is it purely for vanity's sake, and to make yourself look and feel better so that you aren't so self-conscious anymore?
...
Okay, that's it. I'm done ranting. GRR.
I was having a discussion with a friend that I went to high school with tonight, and she has always been skinny. I graduated with 4 other girls in my class, and all of them had completely flat stomachs. I was the only one who had some fat on her tummy. (This is something that I was very self-conscious of for a while, but I have come to accept it - just fyi.)
As I was talking with her tonight, she mentioned to me that she "really needs to go on a diet." She declared that her stomach had turned into a belly, and she wasn't happy with it. Therefore, she was going to go on a diet in order to get rid of that extra stuff.
Okay. This is where my ranting comes in.
ARE YOU SERIOUS?! A girl that has always been skinny has gained a little bit of weight, and she's freaking out about 5 extra vanity pounds. K. I'll be honest in saying that sometimes I do wish that I had a completely flat stomach since I have never had that before and it would be nice not to have that extra junk. However, I figure that if I just exercise and eat healthy (which is probably one reason I haven't lost this weight since I don't really do that so much..) then there's nothing else that I need to do. I really believe that unless it is for health issues or extreme obesity, people should not have to resort to dieting. A lot of this is because dieting deprives the body of essential nutrients that it really needs, all for the sake of getting rid of a couple pounds. Also, a huge reason for women to start dieting is simply because they feel insecure about themselves and their bodies.
GAH. This makes me angry. Sure, I'm insecure more often than I should be, but when it comes down to it, I know that I have been created by an amazing God, and that He loves me just the way I am. And the only reason I have insecurities is because I have given into the lies that the Devil has been feeding me. I've been listening to the world and thinking that I need to look just like the women in magazines or I need to be skinny in order to have a guy notice me.
These things are straight from the pit of hell. God created each and every single person beautiful in their own way, and it is only because of the perversion of the world that we have begun to compare ourselves and think that we're not good enough for whatever reason.
I am just so fed up with this, because women do not need to go on diets to lose a mere 5 or even 10 pounds. All they need to do is exercise and eat healthy. I am fully convinced of this. Because if they do not lose the weight then, then there's nothing else to do and then we should be content with the bodies that God has given us.
Matt was right tonight when he told me that we live in a "self-worship" culture. It is so true. We become so obsessed with what we look like and how we appear to others that we forget what is really important in life.
And I am accusing myself just as much as any other person that may read this. Because I know that I definitely have a ton of pitfalls and failings and I give in to the world WAY too much. But it is something that I am really striving to change.
A Message to Girls:
If you are just looking to lose a few pounds because you're self-conscious of how your stomach, thighs, butt, legs, etc. look, then do not diet. Just change your exercise routine and eat healthier. Check your motives for wanting to lose weight. Is it to treat your body as a temple of the Holy Spirit and to give all the glory to God, or is it purely for vanity's sake, and to make yourself look and feel better so that you aren't so self-conscious anymore?
...
Okay, that's it. I'm done ranting. GRR.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Under the Stars.
There's a song by The Fray that goes, "I found God at the corner of First and Amistad..."
Well, I found God too. But tonight it was under the stars. As I laid on the porch tonight staring at the sky, I realized just how big my God really is. I found myself in tears because of all the things that have been going on lately, and I was just asking God why He was allowing these things to happen, and asking why He couldn't just let things happen the way I wanted them to.
And then it hit me, just as it has hit me so many times in the past.
I don't trust Him. I don't trust the Creator of the universe, the one who put every single star that I was staring at into place. I don't trust the God who has held everything together since the beginning of time. And I find myself wondering now why I don't trust Him. He obviously has more than earned my trust. He has proven Himself faithful and true so many times in my life. So why do I still find it to be one of the most difficult things in the world to trust that He knows what He's doing?
I've found that I really can't come up with an answer. There really is no good excuse not to trust Him. The only explanation I can really come up with is the fact that there is a real spiritual battle taking place within myself. Satan has every intention to keep me from trusting my Savior. He wants to keep me as far away from God as possible, and his plan of attack has been to keep me from being able to trust.
I'm fighting back.
Satan cannot win this. My faith in Christ has to be the most important thing in my life, and I cannot let Satan take that away from me. I have to learn to trust God with EVERYTHING in my life. My weaknesses, my hardships, my relationship struggles, my desires... EVERYTHING. I need to give it all up to Him because He is much more able than I to take care of my situations. I need to then wait on and be patient for God to do what He needs to do, and I cannot complain when things may not happen as I expect them to because "... we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28)."
God's not going to leave me out to dry. He knows what He's doing, and I just need to calm down, stop trying to control everything and everyone, and wait for Him to work.
"At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, 'Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' And calling to Him a child, He put him in the midst of them and said, 'Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven' (Matthew 18:1-4)."
God is calling me to have faith like a child. Children are not skeptical. They are not critical. They are not cynical. I need to throw off all these things, and become like I was when I was seven years old when it was so easy to trust Him. I need to stop trying to rely on myself, and I need to know that I cannot do anything on my own. God is my Provider, and the One who will get me through.
-------
Jesus loves me, this I know
For the Bible tells me so
Little ones to Him belong
They are weak but He is strong
Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves me
The Bible tells me so
Well, I found God too. But tonight it was under the stars. As I laid on the porch tonight staring at the sky, I realized just how big my God really is. I found myself in tears because of all the things that have been going on lately, and I was just asking God why He was allowing these things to happen, and asking why He couldn't just let things happen the way I wanted them to.
And then it hit me, just as it has hit me so many times in the past.
I don't trust Him. I don't trust the Creator of the universe, the one who put every single star that I was staring at into place. I don't trust the God who has held everything together since the beginning of time. And I find myself wondering now why I don't trust Him. He obviously has more than earned my trust. He has proven Himself faithful and true so many times in my life. So why do I still find it to be one of the most difficult things in the world to trust that He knows what He's doing?
I've found that I really can't come up with an answer. There really is no good excuse not to trust Him. The only explanation I can really come up with is the fact that there is a real spiritual battle taking place within myself. Satan has every intention to keep me from trusting my Savior. He wants to keep me as far away from God as possible, and his plan of attack has been to keep me from being able to trust.
I'm fighting back.
Satan cannot win this. My faith in Christ has to be the most important thing in my life, and I cannot let Satan take that away from me. I have to learn to trust God with EVERYTHING in my life. My weaknesses, my hardships, my relationship struggles, my desires... EVERYTHING. I need to give it all up to Him because He is much more able than I to take care of my situations. I need to then wait on and be patient for God to do what He needs to do, and I cannot complain when things may not happen as I expect them to because "... we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28)."
God's not going to leave me out to dry. He knows what He's doing, and I just need to calm down, stop trying to control everything and everyone, and wait for Him to work.
"At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, 'Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' And calling to Him a child, He put him in the midst of them and said, 'Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven' (Matthew 18:1-4)."
God is calling me to have faith like a child. Children are not skeptical. They are not critical. They are not cynical. I need to throw off all these things, and become like I was when I was seven years old when it was so easy to trust Him. I need to stop trying to rely on myself, and I need to know that I cannot do anything on my own. God is my Provider, and the One who will get me through.
-------
Jesus loves me, this I know
For the Bible tells me so
Little ones to Him belong
They are weak but He is strong
Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves me
The Bible tells me so
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Sweetly Broken
At church this morning, we sang the most amazing song and it really impacted me. It's called "Sweetly Broken," and it's incredibly meaningful and powerful. I love it.
Sweetly Broken
By: Jeremy Riddle
To the cross I look, to the cross I cling
Of its suffering I do drink
Of its work I do sing
For on it my Savior both bruised and crushed
Showed that God is love
And God is just
Chorus:
At the cross You beckon me
You draw me gently to my knees, and I am
Lost for words, so lost in love,
I’m sweetly broken, wholly surrendered
What a priceless gift, undeserved life
Have I been given
Through Christ crucified
You’ve called me out of death
You’ve called me into life
And I was under Your wrath
Now through the cross I’m reconciled
Chorus:
In awe of the cross I must confess
How wondrous Your redeeming love and
How great is Your faithfulness
Sweetly Broken
By: Jeremy Riddle
To the cross I look, to the cross I cling
Of its suffering I do drink
Of its work I do sing
For on it my Savior both bruised and crushed
Showed that God is love
And God is just
Chorus:
At the cross You beckon me
You draw me gently to my knees, and I am
Lost for words, so lost in love,
I’m sweetly broken, wholly surrendered
What a priceless gift, undeserved life
Have I been given
Through Christ crucified
You’ve called me out of death
You’ve called me into life
And I was under Your wrath
Now through the cross I’m reconciled
Chorus:
In awe of the cross I must confess
How wondrous Your redeeming love and
How great is Your faithfulness
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