I've been thinking about this recently and thought I would share it with you. I hope this helps you to see what an awesome thing God has done for us.
First, let's think about God. What are words that descibe Him?
All-knowing, Ever-present, Creator of the universe, Maker of everything, Great Physician, the One who knows the number of hairs on our heads, knows the number of stars, miracle-worker, Provider of our needs, loving, the Way, Truth, and Life, God with us, compassionate, merciful, Forgiver, allows us second chances, Lion and the Lamb, the Bridegroom, Preparer of a place for us, sets us free, immortal, infinite,...I mean, He's just GOD!
Now what about man? What's he like?
Sinful, finite, mortal, created, disobedient, can't perform miracles, doesn't know the number of of hairs on his head nor the number of stars, can't provide for ourselves, teller of lies, fallen, is in bondage, isn't compassionate, merciful, nor forgiving,...we're so lowly!
Keeping both these things in mind, think about this: God(Creator, all-present, etc.) came to earth and DIED to save MAN, who is so small and insignificant commpared to the LORD! I pray that this would be amazing to you, and that you would understand how incredible this is! GOD DIED for MAN! We didn't deserve it; we still don't, yet He loves us enough to pay the price to rid us of our sins and be able to live with Him forever.
God Who made everything, created the world by speaking, and has the power to take all our breath away in an instant so that we would perish, instead chose to DIE! This truly shows us how loving our God is. God is so awseome, man is so lost and lowly, but still God provided a way so that we could know and love Him and have a relationship with him. Undoubtedly He is worthy of our praise!
~Princess Gloria
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Adoption is not just Physical
Nijara shifted uneasily in her seat. A friend had told her that a couple from another country wanted to adopt a girl, but no one knew which girl it was yet. Nijara was hoping against hope that she had been chosen. All her life Nijara had hoped to be adopted, but the older she grew, the less and less likely the dream seemed. She knew that at a certain age, teenagers were sent out of the orphanage to find a job on their own. Now Nijara was praying that their was a chance she could still be part of some one's family. She had no idea that in just a few minutes, her dream would come true.
Somewhere on the other side of the world, where it was nighttime, another girl tossed sleeplessly in her bed, her thoughts running in every direction. She had always believed that she had simply been born a Christian, but now she doubted that that was true. Her parents and Sunday School teachers kept saying something about how you had to accept Jesus in your heart to truly have eternal life. Not quite sure how but knowing she had to do it, the nine-year-old searched for the right words.
"God," She prayed silently, "I'm not quite sure how to do this," holding her hands open as towards the ceiling, the girl said the most important thing of her life. "But, if you want to come into my heart, then come in." Sure that her simple prayer had reserved her place in heaven, the girl fell asleep.
Do these two stories seem drastically different to you? At one time, they would have seemed different to me to. However, I have over time realized how similar they are. Even though the story of Nijara is fictional but the story of the nine-year-old is not (I was the nine-year-old), both of them are examples of what is happening all over the world today. Both are about adoption. Nijara is adopted in the literal sense, while all Christians are adopted into God's family. Isn't that amazing? When God made the world, HE made us perfect. We were made to live with HIM for eternity. Sadly, the first humans decided to turn against God and do things their own way. Really, if someone did that to me, I would have just left them to follow their own road to doom. It does seem more fair, doesn't it? But I guess God is far beyond our small human minds. HE loved us any way! HE loved us so much that HE sent HIS one and only Son to die a terrible death in our place! Take a look at this verse.
"But God demonstrates HIS own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 5:8 NIV
That verse has always blown me away. God didn't wait until we had gotten our act together to save us. HE saved us while we were still sinners! Not only that, HE never had to give us eternal life, HE chose to! I feel so unworthy when I remember that HE adopted me into HIS family when I make so many mistakes. HE is awesome!
Have you ever wanted to be a princess? I used to wish I was. Now I realize that I am! God is the King of Kings, so when HE adopts you into HIS family, that makes you royal! That is why I like to use "Princess" in front of my name. It reminds me that I was adopted. That, my dear sister in Christ, is something that should make us want to live our lives for HIM every day!
Blessings,
Princess Melody**
"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height or depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 8:37-39
Somewhere on the other side of the world, where it was nighttime, another girl tossed sleeplessly in her bed, her thoughts running in every direction. She had always believed that she had simply been born a Christian, but now she doubted that that was true. Her parents and Sunday School teachers kept saying something about how you had to accept Jesus in your heart to truly have eternal life. Not quite sure how but knowing she had to do it, the nine-year-old searched for the right words.
"God," She prayed silently, "I'm not quite sure how to do this," holding her hands open as towards the ceiling, the girl said the most important thing of her life. "But, if you want to come into my heart, then come in." Sure that her simple prayer had reserved her place in heaven, the girl fell asleep.
Do these two stories seem drastically different to you? At one time, they would have seemed different to me to. However, I have over time realized how similar they are. Even though the story of Nijara is fictional but the story of the nine-year-old is not (I was the nine-year-old), both of them are examples of what is happening all over the world today. Both are about adoption. Nijara is adopted in the literal sense, while all Christians are adopted into God's family. Isn't that amazing? When God made the world, HE made us perfect. We were made to live with HIM for eternity. Sadly, the first humans decided to turn against God and do things their own way. Really, if someone did that to me, I would have just left them to follow their own road to doom. It does seem more fair, doesn't it? But I guess God is far beyond our small human minds. HE loved us any way! HE loved us so much that HE sent HIS one and only Son to die a terrible death in our place! Take a look at this verse.
"But God demonstrates HIS own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 5:8 NIV
That verse has always blown me away. God didn't wait until we had gotten our act together to save us. HE saved us while we were still sinners! Not only that, HE never had to give us eternal life, HE chose to! I feel so unworthy when I remember that HE adopted me into HIS family when I make so many mistakes. HE is awesome!
Have you ever wanted to be a princess? I used to wish I was. Now I realize that I am! God is the King of Kings, so when HE adopts you into HIS family, that makes you royal! That is why I like to use "Princess" in front of my name. It reminds me that I was adopted. That, my dear sister in Christ, is something that should make us want to live our lives for HIM every day!
Blessings,
Princess Melody**
"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height or depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 8:37-39
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Prayer Request
I would just like to encourage all of you to be in prayer for the family, friends, teammates, and countrymen of Georgia since one of their Olympians, Nodar _______, died on February 12 in Vancouver while practicing on his luge. When he came around one of the curves something happened so that he flew off his sled, was tossed around for a few seconds, and finally slammed his head into a steel pole. I heard that he was going about 90 miles an hour. Thankfully, I would say that by going that fast and thereby hitting his head into the pole that fast, he probably didn't feel much, if any, pain if he was not killed instantly. Thank you all so much for joining me on this!
~Princess Gloria
~Princess Gloria
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Looking Out For You
Let's move on the verse 3 in our Psalm 139 series!
"You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways." (Psalm 139:3, NIV)
Why don't we start by looking at 'discern'- "to measure off, discern"
and 'going out'- "travel, keeps company"
Think about it. The Lord measures off where you go, whether it's to the mailbox, or to church, school, sports practice or games, along with everywhere else you've ever been and ever will be. Someone pays a lot of attention if He knows every single place where you've been. People might know when you go to church, and probably a lot of people know when you go to school, but when you walk to the mailbox? Play outside? Leave your room? Get on the computer? Turn on the TV? Just to name a few.
His loving eyes are constantly upon you. Please notice that I said 'loving'. God is not watching you so that He can point out every little thing you do wrong. Not at all! Instead, He is watching over you.
May I give an example?
You have a puppy named Muffin. Because you love her, you allow her to sniff and roam as she pleases all over your yard. However, you make sure that she doesn't get outside your fenced-in backyard, or your electric fence. You know that if she does, she could be run over in the road, she might not have enough to eat, some bigger animals might get her, etc. You're trying to keep her safe.
God does the same things with us. He allows us to enjoy ourselves within his boundaries, but watches over us to keep us from stepping outside them. He doesn't want us to be hurt. He knows that all we need is what He has to offer us and outside his boundaries we can't have those things. It is so awesome that He cares for us so much that He will give us just the right amount of freedom in his boundaries.
"Familiar with all my ways." This phrase is kind of self-explanatory.
The Lord is familiar with your ways, such as what time your alarm is set for, whether you like to stay up late or get up early, shy or out-going, what you want to do/be when you "grow up", what dreams you have(He gave them to you in the first place!), what your favorite book/movie/Bible verse is, even when you might not even know yourself! These are just a few examples. God knows you inside-out. He "is familiar with all my(your) ways." Only our God could do that.
Look at it this way. If you knew someone who knew all your thoughts that you had ever thought and ever will think, all your favorites, how many hairs are on your head(Matthew 10:30), knows all your friends and family(immediate and extended) members then you would think that that person was amazing! Take God--he knows those very things (and much, much more!) about you, and your family and friends, along with every person who has ever lived and every person who ever will live. Now that's amazing!!!
The New American Standard Bible(NASB) says verse 3 this way:
"You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways."
Remember today that the Lord scrutinizes you, not because He's the pointer-out-of-all-the-mistakes-I-make, but because He's the wanter-to-keep-me-safe-within-His-boundaries, as well as the Lover of your life! He loves you...He knows you...He's the best person to be looking out for you!
~Princess Gloria
NOTE: Word meanings taken from 'The Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance' by Edward W. Goodrick and John R. Kohlenberger III.
"You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways." (Psalm 139:3, NIV)
Why don't we start by looking at 'discern'- "to measure off, discern"
and 'going out'- "travel, keeps company"
Think about it. The Lord measures off where you go, whether it's to the mailbox, or to church, school, sports practice or games, along with everywhere else you've ever been and ever will be. Someone pays a lot of attention if He knows every single place where you've been. People might know when you go to church, and probably a lot of people know when you go to school, but when you walk to the mailbox? Play outside? Leave your room? Get on the computer? Turn on the TV? Just to name a few.
His loving eyes are constantly upon you. Please notice that I said 'loving'. God is not watching you so that He can point out every little thing you do wrong. Not at all! Instead, He is watching over you.
May I give an example?
You have a puppy named Muffin. Because you love her, you allow her to sniff and roam as she pleases all over your yard. However, you make sure that she doesn't get outside your fenced-in backyard, or your electric fence. You know that if she does, she could be run over in the road, she might not have enough to eat, some bigger animals might get her, etc. You're trying to keep her safe.
God does the same things with us. He allows us to enjoy ourselves within his boundaries, but watches over us to keep us from stepping outside them. He doesn't want us to be hurt. He knows that all we need is what He has to offer us and outside his boundaries we can't have those things. It is so awesome that He cares for us so much that He will give us just the right amount of freedom in his boundaries.
"Familiar with all my ways." This phrase is kind of self-explanatory.
The Lord is familiar with your ways, such as what time your alarm is set for, whether you like to stay up late or get up early, shy or out-going, what you want to do/be when you "grow up", what dreams you have(He gave them to you in the first place!), what your favorite book/movie/Bible verse is, even when you might not even know yourself! These are just a few examples. God knows you inside-out. He "is familiar with all my(your) ways." Only our God could do that.
Look at it this way. If you knew someone who knew all your thoughts that you had ever thought and ever will think, all your favorites, how many hairs are on your head(Matthew 10:30), knows all your friends and family(immediate and extended) members then you would think that that person was amazing! Take God--he knows those very things (and much, much more!) about you, and your family and friends, along with every person who has ever lived and every person who ever will live. Now that's amazing!!!
The New American Standard Bible(NASB) says verse 3 this way:
"You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways."
Remember today that the Lord scrutinizes you, not because He's the pointer-out-of-all-the-mistakes-I-make, but because He's the wanter-to-keep-me-safe-within-His-boundaries, as well as the Lover of your life! He loves you...He knows you...He's the best person to be looking out for you!
~Princess Gloria
NOTE: Word meanings taken from 'The Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance' by Edward W. Goodrick and John R. Kohlenberger III.
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