To Glorify God and Enjoy Him Forever

I wrote this blog two years ago as a reminder that as Christians, we're living for something greater than ourselves. According to the Shorter Catechism question 1, our main purpose is, "to glorify God and enjoy him forever." God is working at Purdue to bring about this purpose!


The light streams in through the windows onto the tan carpet in apartment 28. Chatter fills the room. Everyone is so different. All boilermakers, they're from NYC, Taiwan, China, Massachuesetts, Kokomo and Indianapolis, to name a few. About twenty of us gather over chili this Sunday afternoon. A few minutes into the meal every conversation has turned to Christ. Some people are sharing their testimonies. Older Christians are searching the scriptures with new believers to answer their questions. I can see the passion and light in their eyes. They have so many stories. Some have known God their whole lives. Others have wandered from God and returned to him. Others have just become Christians in the past year. Nobody had planned that we'd talk about God. It just happened.

2012-Reading the Bible in a Year

     1, 042 pages, 66 books and 365 days. You probably know what I'm referring to: a read-through-the-Bible in a year plan. I read through the Bible last year. Looking back, I realize this feat was all by God's grace! Life was busy but he provided the time motivation for me to do it. It all began at a church conference I attended last winter when the speaker (Pastor Barry York) challenged my fellow students and I to read the Bible in a year. He provided this reading plan, http://70030.netministry.com/apps/articles/?articleid=31623&columnid=3801, among other plans.
     By the way, I highly recommend the above reading chart! It's very doable and the fact that the books are categorized into genres helps one to understand the content. One negative comment: some of the readings are not divided up well, for example, you may have 5 long chapters to read in Numbers one day and 3 chapters to read in Psalms the next day, so consider adjusting the portions so they are more even.
     Overall, reading the Bible in a year went very well and I learned so much! Sometimes I was not diligent. I got behind in my reading, but eventually caught up. The thing you have to realize about reading through the Bible in a year is that you can't go as in depth as you wish. You can't look at it verse by verse because you probably won't have time (praise God if you do!) Instead, you'll learn broad concepts, especially about God's character. Through the year, certain attributes of God became very clear. First, he showed me his justice. In Numbers 15:32-36, God told Moses to kill a man for picking up sticks on the sabbath.
     This example is one of many that shows how severely God hates sin, even the seemingly small sins. Second, I learned about God's love. It seems funny to talk about God's love after talking about his justice but that's exactly what scripture does. It emphasizes how God pours out his justice on sin and sinners, especially those who aren't Christians, as well as how he pours out his love on the saved. Passages like Jeremiah 31:3 come to mind. Jesus said to Israel, "I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you."
     Just think about that word 'everlasting.' Is that not beautiful??? Thirdly, God's mercy became evident to me. Nearly every Christian hero in the Bible had some glaring sin. Rahab was a prostitute, yet she was in the lineage of Jesus. Jacob was a liar. Paul persecuted Christians, yet God forgave these people and used them in amazing ways! God's justice, love and mercy are only a few of the character qualities which I learned about reading through the Bible in a year. Is God awesome or what??!

   

Answered Prayers

Two months ago, I faced my first year of college with excitement, but fear also. Now, I'm only halfway through this semester and God's answered all my prayers!

I asked for:
-a Christian roommate
-time to study
-focus on school
-good grades (realizing that faithfulness is more important than success)
-opportunities to share the gospel
-good Christian friends who lead by example
-financial provision for books, homework portals, etc..
-a conveniently located job
-the grace and strength to live like Christ 24/7 (as the whole book of James emphasizes)

God is good, not only because he's blessed me, but because he just is!! Psalm 119:68

Intense

      Intense. That’s my summer in one word. It was intensely hard, intensely full and intensely thrilling. From spending 75 hours doing clinicals in an advanced special care unit, to putting in 10 hour days at work, to spending some of the best moments with family and friends during trips all over the midwest, God sustained me. He taught me about loving others, working hard and learning to say, “See ya later.”
        Many of the best experiences of my summer took place at the long term care facility, earning my CNA (Certified Nurse's Assistant) license. At the same time, those days were the hardest. The aging process can be cruel. I stepped in all kinds of body fluids. I was nearly beat up (my CNA took the punch.). I was cussed out. I never cried when I was there, but when I came home, I couldn’t help myself. Despite all of the bad times, I came to love my residents. To this day, I still think of them: their unique personalities, their way of bringing laughter to all the staff, their feet tapping along with the big band music they loved so much.
     Second, God taught me about working hard. 10 hour shifts became the new norm for me, and I knew that as soon as I’d sit down, my feet would throb. Sometimes it was better just to stay standing; but during those shifts at the library and at the long term care facility, Galations 6:9 came to mind, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
     In between all these commitments, God gave me opportunities to say not goodbye, but see you later to my dear family and friends. Saying see ya later meant slathering on face scrub and topping it off with cucumbers and taking funny pictures with my ‘twin’. Saying see ya later meant dancing to salsa music on the circle in downtown Indianapolis with friends. Saying see ya later meant lying underneath the stars in northern Michigan with my sisters, feeling really, really small.
     For those who’ve claimed Jesus’ promise to forgive repentant sinners, there's eternity to look forward too. This summer, God gave me strength to accomplish the work he’s given me, courage to do what’s right and a vibrant relationship with him through all of the thrilling moments. More than anything else, he showed me my sin through all these stretching experiences. Despite my sin, he wants me to share the gospel-the fact that Jesus' died for sin, with others. Matthew 9:12-13, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Enough

Enough searching, enough restlessness, enough dissatisfaction, enough looking to yourself.

Why do you depend on your own achievements, your own goals to make you happy?

The world says to make goals and dream big. Yet, a dream come true
only leaves you empty, wondering, “Why is it not enough?”

How much do I need to fill this empty feeling? How much hard work? Money? Love?

You’re staring into a dark pit of your own emptiness.

There is only one person who is enough. His name is God.

Rusty nails were pierced through His hands so that one day, you can stand before Him
washed clean, forgiven.

So stop looking to the world for happiness.
Fall on your knees now.

Praise Him. He’s given you everything you need.