Thursday, October 25, 2012

God's Glory Through my Weakness

      It is so easy to get discouraged in my walk with the Lord.  I set goals for myself and when I fail to achieve them I feel like a loser.  I go to bed some nights and set my alarm early enough that I can get a lot of time for my quiet time in befors I start my day.  But when it goes off in the mornings I hit the snooze until the last minute.  Then the next night I think, "Tomorrow morning I WILL get up the first time the alarm goes off."  Morning rolls around, and the snooze button is overused yet again.  Every day I regret not getting up the first time I hear my alarm.  Sometimes I try putting the alarm on the other side of my room, forcing me to get out of bed to turn it off.  Still, I find myself back in bed.  It is an ongoing cycle that I am convinced I can't change on my own.  John 15:5 says: "I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."  Without Jesus I can do absolutely nothing.  How, then can I expect to be able to do something if I'm trying to do it by myself?  Matthew 19:26 says: "Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossble, but with God all things are possible."'  I can have hope because of this verse.  I know that I can't do anything without God, but with him, that is another story altogether.  Nothing is impossible with God!  He can do anything!  2 Corinthians 12:9 says: "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficiant for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness.'  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ's power may rest on me."  So when I feel like I'm failing, I need to remember that I can't do it by myself and I need to ask God for help, and when he helps me, I can boast in it and give him all the glory.
     

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Essay: Hebrews 11:1

I am sure that someday, there will be a new Heaven and a new Earth and I can't wait for that day.  I am sure that it will be more glorious than I imagine.  Heaven will be more amazing than I could ever comprehend with my small brain.  But, even though I don't know what to expect, I am hopeful because I know Jesus will be there and it will be beyond what words can describe.  I hope for the unknown of Heaven.
      I am certain that there is wind.  I don't see it as itself, but I do see the effects of it.  There is proof everywhere that wind exists, even though nobody can see it.  When trees wave and my hair whips in my face, I have no doubt that the wind is the cause of that.  
      Similarly, I can't see God face-to-face, but I do see the effects of Him in many ways.  He is evident throughout all creation. I see Him in sunsets and sunrises over the horse pasture.  He is the greatest artists and He paints His masterpieces across the sky all the time.  I see Him at work in mine and other people's lives: answering prayers, being a comforter and friend, and being there when we need Him.  He is always with me and I know I can trust Him.  I can't see Him, but I'm certain He's there.

Friday, October 5, 2012

Essay on U.S. Embassy attacks

      The United States should not send financial aid to anybody who attacked our Embassies.  To attack a U.S. Embassy is to attack U.S. territory and that is an act of war.  It does not make sense to send money to countries that have committed an act of war against us because they can use it to buy more weapons and more supplies for their cause.
      This is especially true because of how much debt we have.  We are sending borrowed money to countries that have attacked us and our national debt is climbing daily.  How can this possibly make sense to anybody?  Since the debt is constantly increasing we should be searching for every possibly way to save money; not sending it to nations who have proved they want to destroy us by attacking our Embassies.
      Perhaps the government thinks that sending financial aid will help keep the peace.  that is not true in many cases.  There is nothing we can do to make some countries not hate us (for example, the nation of Iran).  Things may stay peaceful for a little while, as they play innocent, meanwhile, collecting money from the U.S. but then possibly strike with weapons that we have provided for them.  
      If there is no hope for there to be peace, then it is not logical to send any type of aid to them because they will just us it against us.


Monday, October 1, 2012

Ode to Autumn

You, autumn, are unpredictable.  
In the mornings your air is frigid and crisp
but the temperature often rises as the day unfolds.
You welcome cider and doughnuts and sweatshirts.
You bring beautiful warm colors to all the trees.
You even bring amazing smells.
You are ideal for riding horses in the leaf-covered woods.
I just wish you went right to spring and we didn't have to suffer through the worst 4 months EVER. (aka winter)