Just in time isn't covered by the second or minute hand on your watch, but you can be on your watch for it.

God is awesome. period. I was in charge of service tonight at church, and as always He works things out just in time. The blog about the light bulb from 2 nights ago was part of my teaching on making amends and keeping track of your Spiritual life, but there was also a nifty thing God added in tonight as well. When I got home from school today I got a return letter from a former teacher I had sent an apology to--the neat thing is that the response I got tied in perfectly with the message tonight, provided props, and showed up JUST IN TIME. I got this letter at about 4:30, and church started at 7. This reminds me of a good Biblical story...

In John 11 we see an example of another time that Jesus was right on time, perhaps you've even heard the old hymn referring to it? John 11:1-44 tells us about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead two days after he had passed. I can only imagine what must have been going through the minds of Mary and Martha, Lazarus' sisters. Knowing that Jesus and Lazarus were good friends and that Jesus had the power to heal, they must have wondered why Jesus hadn't healed Lazarus. They also probably wondered why Jesus didn't come straight to the sick man's side, but stayed where He was for 2 more days. Losing someone is hard and confusing for sure. This story reveals that even in the most difficult of times God knows what He's doing and has a purpose in it--It says clearly throughout the chapter that Jesus prayed and thanked the Father outloud so that the people may know of this connection they had and also that this death was to reveal to the people His power and authority over life and death. And let's admit it--we are human, we fail, and we often need things pointed out to us and proven to us. Knowing this as Creator of human beings, Jesus knew exactly what the people needed to hear and how to approach it. That's right--God knows what you're facing, He's got a purpose in it---be patient, child, He'll be right on time [His time that is...not always yours...but His is perfect]. Seek to understand God's timing and give Him the credit and thanks when you figure out just why He did it the way He did in your life.

Lord, break my heart for the poor that their concerns would become my concerns.

I work at a Christian book store that has paired up with World Vision, an international organization mission driven to get the gospel out, and provide food, water, and clothing for children around the world. We have a goal of so many we need to get, but this is something that I constantly fall short at. Now mind you, this is a $35/month commitment, so not everyone can afford it, but sometimes I wonder if the way I present it inhibits those that can afford it from pursuing it. I have been sponsoring a child myself since this past November, and I will admit that $35 a month is a pretty penny that I could be spending on higher quality items, a new purse, shoes, my favority new movies and music, etc...but here's my thought--what better could I be doing with that $35 than blessing a childs life, hopefully for eternity? And it's not just the child that is influenced--the great thing about World Vision is that they provide programs and educational training for parents so that they can become self-sufficient and support their families more efficiently. Through providing the child with love and the gospel, and letters and photos of myself periodically, I am also witnessing to their families, and even their communities--in many communities, when mail is recieved the whole town gathers to celebrate it and read it. Wow. How else could I have that impact from where I am? Now mind you, I think it's very important to be active in your own community and provide your services to others, but if I can cut back $35 in discretionary expenses and give time--the more the better :). So I pray that God will break my heart for the poor--that more than the comfort of the person I am talking to at work, I will just have a passion to see these children sponsored and that the fire for that within me would become contagious..getting children sponsored through me and as a chain reaction through others that I come into contact with. May I have a heart for the poor, for those with less than me, and for those God has specifically put in my path for me to help.

I was reading the book of James today and came across this verse--James 1:27 "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." How are you carrying this challenge out?

For you who want to be challenged in your faith--that want to stretch even further and get even closer to God, or for those of you that feel like you're 'good Christians' or where you should be, I challenge you to read the book of James, or even specifically 3:1-12, 4:1-7, and 5:1-6. I've noticed my own toes stomped on. Start talking about our wealth, our selfish ambitions, and our tongue and we tend to get a little antsy, defensive, and uncomfortable. I called it a 'challenge' for a reason--only read it if you're willing to put forth 110% and make a change...if you read it and aren't willing you'll probably just end up with that gut wrenching feeling. Your choice.

Is it time to change your lightbulb?

Tonight I came home, turned on the light in my bedroom for it to do that stellar "pop-and-die" move, leaving me with only 1 of 4 lightbulbs functioning and a considerably dark room. No, contrary to what you might believe, 3 lightbulbs did not die at once [which I find interesting if they all were put in at the same time...but that's another topic]--instead, I had put off changing my lightbulbs until it was a complete necessity. Have you ever been this way with your relationship with God?--putting repairing things or keeping up with responsibilities until it was the last straw and you HAD to talk to Him, forgive that person, take that step, or whatever your situation entailed? I have. In fact, I have a pretty recent example of one. My sophomore year of High School I heard a sermon on Matthew 18:15-19, which talks about going to your brother and forgiving him. Well, it just so happened I had been holding something inside me about what a peer had said to me in 8th grade, and when I heard that sermon God was like "hi, you need to take care of that..." And I of course made up as many reasons why I could not as possible (such as, I didn't ever see this guy and to just call him up 3 years down the road and ask forgiveness for something he didn't remember was not culturally 'normal,' or that it wasn't that big of a deal and I'd forgive him in my heart on my own, or that [since I had a crush on him in our previous life long before] he would once again assume that I liked him-which would be awkward, etc. etc. But God, amazingly, wasn't convinced by my reasons and was ultimately wise, and so my feeling of needing to do this still did not go away. When I got home from church that afternoon, I looked up the phone # and I called this guy. I told him about the situation, read him the scripture, and asked his forgiveness. It went pretty smooth and it was over, right? Well not exactly--minor detail about his reception was that he seemed a little under the influence and was not exactly receptive of what I said. So I felt like I should call him again--God wanted me to cut right to the chase...give the guy the spill about the issue and let it be...I had decided that I was going to do it my way and would in fact befriend him and then slowly tell Him about Christ and such over time. Well, of course, my way didn't work and it became obvious that it was weird that I had called. So this point would be like the lightbulb dimming, having a little less juice right before the change. Then I just started to push this off. Now notice what started as a simple phone call is growing into something much larger--it now became the elephant that followed me everywhere--that made me feel almost guilty all the time, but I wouldn't. So the lightbulb went out, and I walked around with less light for a few months, and then a year, and then...5 years. Wow. That quick huh? Come to think of it at that point it was 20% of my life that this had followed me around, was something I needed to do, and that I ultimately ignored. It wasn't until I had a huge scare in my life this past fall that I decided to finally do it. That's right, my grandfather who has a very delicate heart and history of about 15 heart attacks was going to have a major and risky procedure and I was scared out of my mind that I would lose this man I loved so dear. I felt like a voice spoke to me that it was now or never and I better get my tail in gear and go witness to this guy. So I wrote this guy a facebook message telling him about the phone call 5 years ago, what I felt, and what I needed to do--that Christ wanted to offer him salvation, and I was there if he ever needed to talk or had questions. The point of this story is this: are there any lightbulbs that have gone out in your life? Maybe you've made your prayer life a side item, or you've pushed God down from #1 to just below your job...my warning to you is this--if you pass up an opportunity when God tells you to, you may push it off until next week, next year, or maybe you'll never have the opportunity again. Don't let the lightbulbs in your life go out, but instead continually check the status of the light in your life. Make sure that you are putting your full effort into your relationship with Christ, that friends or coworkers or bf/gf, husband/wife, don't accidently bump into a lightbulb and unscrew it just a little bit--til it goes out. I can tell you from experience that if you don't embrace what God is talking to you about the day to do so may never come. Matthew 25:1-13 tells us the parable of the ten virgins--that at the time of Christ's return 5 were prepared and 5 were not prepared with enough oil to light their lamps. When the time for Christ's return came 5 were unprepared and were not allowed into the 'wedding banquet'--which we know as the picture of Christ coming for us--His church, His bride--for He said He did not know them. Make sure today that whether it be that you need to accept Christ into your heart, rededicate your life and commitment to Him, or forgive a brother or sister that's keeping you from completely unity with Christ, make sure you change that lightbulb that when the time comes you will be ready. :) By the way--the give of grace [aka God's lightbulb supply] is absolutely free. You just have to be willing to put forth the effort to make the change and keep a watch on them.

Day 1. Ephesians 2.

Dear world.
I was reading Ephesians 2 today and thought I'd share a bit about what I thought it meant. So here goes.

What I've been thinking about a lot recently was how Christianity is a choice. Everything in life is a choice. For so long people outside of Christianity have looked at it merely as a set of rules and laws--none of which they found appealing or worthwhile. So I've been looking at some scripture and devotions that reflect on the choice behind it all. After all, that was the point of Christ coming. Without a blood sacrifice, we are damned to Hell from our sin-nature {Genesis--creation story}. The church and sacrificing methods were going so far off the correct path with the conceded, self-worshipping [majority of] the Pharisees and Sadducees in the days of Christ, that God fulfilled the word of the prophets in the Old Testament and sent His son to be the ultimate sacrifice. So now we are faced with the option of Hell [not accepting Christ] or Heaven [accepting Christ and His salvation from Hell]--not that people in the Old Testament didn't have the choice of Heaven or Hell, they did...but our choice [the sacrifice in and of itself] requires less action because Jesus did the majority of the work for us. Now, all we have to do is confess and accept {Romans 10:9}...that's the first step.

Now let's look at Ephesians 2:1-10...this is based on the same concept as what I just said above. We must remember that we don't deserve this choice at hand. When we trace ourselves, our origin, back to creation, we can then ask ourselves--what is it that gives us worth? Is it that we can eat, work, play, have impressive talents, look pretty, etc.? No, not at all. You alone have no worth. Now HOLD ON. Before you stop, and feel worthless--continue reading this in context. You alone have no worth, but because of God, you are of great value. When He created us, we were made in His image--we are a reflection of God. Therefore, we are to be a reflection of His glory and to show His glory. Once again--this is a choice. So back on subject, Ephesians 2:1-10 that tells us about Christ's blood sacrifice for our sins reflects on that we were not given the opportunity of grace because we deserved it or we earned it, but because God has given us a GIFT of incomparable riches through His kindness. We are God's precious handiwork--at reflection of Him--created to do GOOD works, and He prepared us in advance [gave us ALL we would need to accomplish the tasks He has given us]. So once again, we see evidence of choice in that we were created to do good works, but as many of us have seen and experienced--not everyone does good works, and those of us that attempt to don't always stick with it.

Next, let's hit up Ephesians 2:11-13. This section focuses on the history that Jews and Gentiles [aka circumcised and uncircumcised] did not get along and were seperate. Today we can see this in denominations, racism, political parties, etc. We are called as brothers and sisters in Christ, though, to look over differences: we are one body in Christ--> read on. Verse 14-19 reinforces what I just said about being one. Christ has removed these barriers of the law and of tradition that kept the circumcised and the uncircumcised separate. Because of Christ, we are all working toward one goal--you are either for Christ or against Christ. Nothing comes in between. There is no gray area here. Once again, what do we see? We see a choice between acceptance in Christ as one body, or attempting to be separate, causing damage to the body of Christ, and ultimately being against Him.

Last in this chapter comes the happy part, the home run, etc. Because Christ forgave us ALL, and because we ALL are glorious beings as reflections of God and not because of anything we've done or can do, and because we ALL are called to be one in the body of Christ and love one another as He did {John 15:12} and not let former laws or traditions separate u...then He is our cornerstone. [The cornerstone being the most important part of the structure that keeps it all in a delicate balance and from tumbling to ruins...Jesus Christ, God, is that.] The structure, the temple, the building that glorifies God and sings praises to Him is joined together--it is built up because of Christ, in Christ. And now, looking back to you and your decisions, and your choice: you have the choice to be built together to become a temple of Christ where God, as His Spirit lives within you. Notice, though that the Spirit living within you will be a sensor to provide conviction [similar to a feeling of guilt] when you are sinning, and therefore choosing to become a temple of Christ where the Holy Spirit dwells is also choosing to have a sensor on your actions. This is a good thing, a gift from God living inside you--as He called the Holy Spirit "the Comforter or the Counselor," {John 16:7} and the Spirit will help you to draw closer to God, purify your habits, and live a better overall life--life in abundance and fullness {John 10:10}. :)

So as I close Ephesians 2, reflect on what choices you've made:
-Have you accepted that you are a glorious creation that is a reflection of God made with a purpose?
-Are you seeking to fulfill the purpose God created you for?
-Have you accepted the gift of grace and salvation that God has offered through Christ?
-Do you look at your neighbor through the eyes of Christ with love?
-Do you look at your fellow brother and sister in Christ as working toward the same goal; part of one body in Christ?
-Have you accepted that Christ is the ultimate foundation, should be the ultimate foundation of the church [as a whole...not jus individual churches along] and of your life?
-Have you allowed the Holy Spirit to come into your life, to guide your thoughts, words, and actions that you might better fulfill God's purpose for your life and show His glory?

You know the answers to these questions. I do not. Be honest with yourself and with God. What do you need to work on? What different choices do you need to be making? Perhaps you should talk it out with God...He's listening.