A New Chapter

    I like reading books. It is bittersweet when you end a book because that story has ended. However, a new story can begin. Just like our lives have different chapters.

   If you know me, you know I love reading books. I have quite the library at home of many different genres. I love seeing where the author is going to take the characters. I like finding out how some people have grown in God. There is only one real problem I have found with books I enjoy reading: I want to find out what is going to happen, but I also don't want the book to end...

   Many of the authors whose books I read are very good writers. They are so good at keeping me in suspense till the very end. Yet, when the book ends it is bittersweet. I then know what happens to all the characters, but I am no longer in that story. That story has ended and with that story the connection to the characters in the story are gone too.

   Yet, even in the bitterness of that story ending, I realize a new story can begin. I can meet new characters, go to a new world, and find a new story must waiting for me.

   This is sometimes how our lives work. We open many new chapters in life: going to school for the first time, trying a new activity, our first job, what we do after we graduate, marriage, our first child, etc. We are creatures of habit though. We enjoy doing things we know. We enjoy our comfort zones. Sometimes we may not understand why God closes a door in our lives. We may even say "things were going so well Lord. Why did you take that away from me?" 

   Ecclesiastes 3:1 says: "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." God, in his infinite knowledge, knows what is best for us. He knows when it is time for us to stay and when it is time for us to go. We can either continue to look back as Lot's wife did, or we can press on as Paul implored us to do in Philippines 3:14. One chapter in life may be closing but we can choose our attitude about our new chapters in life. What will your attitude be about your new chapter in life?

Needing Water

   Have you ever been dehydrated in your life? I have been a few times. One time, when I was younger, I was at an event in our town. It was incredibly warm out. I began sweating profusely. Thinking it was normal to be sweating when it was hot out, I didn't say anything. Then my vision began to turn blue and green. I bumped into my mother and said I did not feel well. She got me in the shade and sat me down. 
I was too young to know what was happening to my body. My dad said I was probably dehydrated, and he went to get me some water. When the water came, it was the best water I had ever tasted. I drank most of it and my vision became clearer. After a bit, my family and I went home. 
   When I was older, I thought back to that day. I needed water but I didn't realize it. Many of us need water but don't realize it. I'm not talking physical water. I am talking about the water of life.
   John 4 is the passage where we find Jesus talking with a Samaritan woman. The woman is first shocked that Jesus even talks with her. Then he says in verse 10, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." She thinks he is talking about physical water. Jesus emphasizes that that isn't the case in verses 13-14
"Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
   The woman desperately wants this water, so she does not thirst again. She is like us when we are dehydrated. She would do anything to get that water. However, Jesus is talking about his water. He is talking about thirsting after him. If we have a relationship with Christ, then we are changed. We will not thirst after the things of this world because we know those things are temporary. Only Jesus can quench our thirst. 
   He gives us the only thing we really need. He gives us a relationship with him. Jesus died on the cross as a perfect sacrifice for us. We need to accept him, believe in him, and confess our sins to him. Then we will have living water with which quenches our thirst.
   So, is your thirst quenched? Do you have a relationship with Christ? If you do, what are you doing to grow in him each day?

Don't Itch

   One day I was minding my own business driving to soccer practice. It was a sunny day, and I was feeling good and excited to practice that day. Suddenly I had an itch on my leg. Since I was driving, I did not look down and just itched it. When I itched it, it felt good and alleviated the need to scratch, for a bit. 

   I continued to drive and then felt itchy again in the same place. Thus, I scratched again. When I finally reached my destination, I looked down. To my dismay and annoyance, I had been scratching a mosquito bite. The bit had gotten quite big because I was scratching it.

When I was at practice, I would feel the itch again. However, this time I would avoid itching it. If it was really itchy, I would end up slapping it. Eventually, after a few days, the bite mark went away. 

   More than likely, if you live in an area where mosquitoes are, you have had a similar experience. But you may be wondering why I am telling this story. Well, after that experience I got to thinking about how mosquito bites are similar to the Christian walk.

   Sin is like a mosquito bite. Once you sin once it is quite easy to sin again. It is like an itch. The sin is under your skin like a mosquito bite. You know it is there and you know you should not sin. Yet, the temptation is there and if you sin again the temptation goes away, for a little. But if you do sin again it gets easier and easier to do. You may not see the impact of that sin immediately on your life. Eventually the impact is clear though because of the consequences you are facing.

   James 1:14 says: "But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire." We are sinful beings who are tempted in different ways. As Christians we are called to be holy and follow Christ. That does not mean it is easy to do so. Sinning is much easier most of the time, Satan makes it that way. That does not mean that reason is an excuse for us. 

   Hebrews 2:18 says: "For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." When we are tempted, we are not alone. Jesus is with us. When temptation comes, instead of giving in, we can call on Jesus. He will help us through our temptations. In this metaphor, I guess you can say that Jesus is hydrocortisone cream. He helps alleviate the itch to sin. 

   Now, one last thing I want to say about this topic: if you have put hydrocortisone cream on a bite you know it only alleviates the itch for a bit. Then you need to put more on to help with the need to scratch. It is the same with temptation to sin. We cannot just call on Jesus once to ask for help with the temptation to sin. We must be in constant communication with him each day. We must get to know him. That is how we can flee temptation when it comes.

   So, are you being tempted right now? What can you do to avoid the itch of that temptation? Are you spending time with Christ each day?

 

What's the Worst Thing That Can Happen?

     Have you ever gone through something, and you keep worrying about it? Your mind drifts to all the things that could go wrong. You just keep thinking about the problem over and over again. You may try to use scripture to help you remember that God is in control, but the thoughts keep coming back. What are we to do in those times?
   Because I am a teacher, I need to take trainings to keep my certification. One training I took asked the questions: "what is the worst thing that could happen?" And "what is the best thing that could happen?" I thought about those questions. They were good questions to ask when going though problems.
   For example: if you are in danger of losing your job, what’s the worst thing that could happen? You lose your job, source of income, and possibly your possessions. However, even if you lose those things can that problem take away anything that matters in eternity? No, in fact any problem we have on earth can do one of two things. It can drag us away from God or draw us closer to him. We just have to choose which way we wish to go.
   If you are in danger of losing your job, what’s the best thing that can happen? You either keep your job or find a better job. You grow closer to the Lord and your family during this hard time. 
   I have found that by asking these two questions quickly when a problem comes up it helps stop the overthinking. I learn that technically nothing can touch me that will overcome me. I have already won every battle in my life that will come because the Lord is on my side. He may not do things the way I expect but he has a plan for my life. I want to fulfill the purpose he has for me in my life. To do that I need to trust him and stop worrying.
   So, when problems come up do you trust in the Lord? How can you trust God more today?
   Proverbs 3:5-6

Shine Like Stars

    If you go outside at night and look in the sky, what will you see? You may see clouds or the moon. But if you live in the country, you could see the stars. Stars have amazed people for years. They are high in the sky, make patterns, are millions of miles away, and still shine bright enough that we can see them here on earth.
   This year, at Camp YoliJwa, the theme is shine like stars. The verse this is taken from is Philippians 2:15 which says: “so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.”
   In one of the classes, we talked about love languages. I have discussed love languages on my blog before, but I did not realize how much the camp verse connects with them. We are to show love to everyone. That is the second greatest commandment that Jesus talked about. Yet, that is not always easy to do.
   We all have different love languages, and some are more comfortable for us than others. Also, we will get along better with some people than others. But God calls us to love everyone. He calls us to shine like stars. How are we to do that when we live in a world filled with darkness and sin? How are we to do that when people are not kind to us?
   We need to bear fruit. We need to grow in God. We need to be more like Jesus in our actions. In the world there is darkness. We can choose to let the darkness overcome us. We can choose to join in the darkness by sinning. Or we can choose to shine with God’s love and reflect his glory.
   What does that look like? It may mean we have to start small. We begin by loving our immediate family. We start by learning about Jesus, so we grow. That helps us know how to love others in certain situations. It may be hard to do, but we need to remember in the world filled with darkness. That means that even if we only give off a little light it will be seen. People will notice and begin to wonder what is different about us. That will lead them to learn more about Jesus and how much he loves them. And isn’t that the whole reason we are here? We are here to shine like stars and reflect the glory of God.
   So, are you shining for God’s glory? If not, what can you do to reflect His glory? How can you show love to someone today?