Christian Songs I Love

Hey! I am just doing a very quick post today! I wanted to give out a couple of Christian songs I really love, for anyone who reads this that wants some good Christian music.

Stronger- Mandisa: I love this song, it is so hopeful, and has lots of truths that she makes easy to understand in the song. It's a beautiful "keep holding on" type of song.

Never Gone- Colton Dixon: I am a huge fan of Colton Dixon, so I might be a bit biased about this one. This is his first single, and it really is beautiful. Some of it is written as though God is speaking to you. It's about how no matter what it feels like, God never leaves you, and you have never been and will never be alone.

Just Cry- Mandisa: This is one of those songs that I think everybody related to. It says that it is okay to let your feelings out, and God can handle your anger or sadness. It is slow, with deliberate, powerful lyrics.

Days of Elijah- Robin Mark: I love this song! It is a super upbeat song with a Irish jig feel :) It is just basically praising the Lord, and its pretty amazing.

Just wanted to introduce a few cool songs!
Grace

Keep Perspective

Hi everybody! These last couple of days I have been getting lots more pageviews- I think that it is because I told some friends and family about this blog; something I hadn't done yet. I was a little nervous to tell people I actually knew about it, but I'm glad I did. If I had continued writing without actually telling people and hoping that strangers stumble across it, it wouldn't have been shown to nearly as many people. Also, if my goal is to evangelize, how can I do that without sharing? Bottom line: I'm glad a told a few people about it, and I hope more people see it now.

Today I want to talk about something that brings me immense comfort- perspective. I want to start off my devotion. I've included my devotion book in this blog before, because I just think it is so amazing. So here is my devotion's advice on perspective. Itis written as though Jesus is speaking to you:

I am much more 'real' than this world. This world- and all the things in it- will someday be gone. But I am forever. Once you compare things to Forever, it becomes much easier to shake off today's hurts and disappointments.
Years from now, when you're starting your career, it won't matter that you made a bad grade on a test. But it will matter that you kept trying in spite of that bad grade. Twenty or thirty years from now, when you're playing with your own children, it won't matter that you didn't make the team. But it will matter that you kept a happy heart and cheered on those who did. And an eternity from now, nothing on this life will matter- except that you loved me and loved other people with My love.
Don't be shaken by the troubles of this world. One day they will be gone, and I will take you home with me Forever. 
 

Those words, and that comfort, is so beautiful. Knowing that you will look back on your problems and they won't matter anymore it one of the best things to keep in mind in a crisis. We get so incredibly caught up in everyday struggles, that it is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But as it says in the devotion, in Heaven, nothing here will matter except for your love for Christ and others.

Whenever I get upset because I had to turn in an assignment late, or I messed up my huge presentation, I just remember that it won't matter soon. Compared to the forever that we will live in Heaven, this life will seem like it went by in a second. When we remember how we messed up in this life, we won't care. We won't be mad, or sad, or disappointed about it anymore. All we will care about is how incredibly happy we are in Heaven, with Jesus.

The next time you mess up, or you do something and everything seems to fall apart, keep perspective. Remember that weeks or months from now, it won't matter. We can filter our lives through the perspective of Heaven, and everything will be easier to handle.

Grace

 

 

The Trap of Apathy

          Apathy {noun}:
          Lack of feeling or emotion.
          Lack of interest or concern.
          Impassiveness. Indifference.

     That's what apathy means, defined by Merriam-Webster. A lack of feeling, emotion, interest, or concern. You might feel apathetic towards certain things that make your friends passionate and invested in. When you feel apathetic, you often know you should care, but you just don't. It's a very common feeling, and one that leaves us with a sense of emptiness and annoyance.

     But as Christians, apathy means more than that. Apathy means that you have no will to read the Bible. Would rather take a nap then pray. Life is tolerable; you don't really feel like your spiritual life is necessary. Apathy towards God has plagued Christians since Christianity was formed, and often goes on for months, or even years.
    
     This summer and fall, I feel like I have been apathetic towards God. I know he's there, but my mind is so plagued with doubts,it's just easier to not care. Going through life, without getting anything out of it, is an easier route than stretching yourself spiritually, and becoming closer to God. It really is simpler. But then, I know I look back at the last few months, and realize that I will never get them back. There were probably hundreds of missed opprotunities to show the love of Jesus. Instead of using them, I just went day to day. I got up, went to school, did homework, hung out with friends, and did it all over again. In some ways, I was wasting my life. And the scary thing about being apathetic is the longer you stay that way, the harder it is to pull yourself out of it.

     "Going through the motions" and living a life of apathy is like another things that teenagers have issues with: staying up too late. :) We want to stay up just a little later, and then don't go to bed until  some unreasonable time. Then, we wake up the next day and regret it like nothing else. We complain about how we should've slept because now we're tired, and we swear to ourselves that we will never do it again.. And then, that night, it starts over again. We stay up late, regret it, and do it again. It's kind of similar to going a month without furthuring yourself spiritually at all. You do it, regret it, and do it again.

     So, make this week coming up not one of those weeks. Make it a week where you don't miss evangelizing opprotunities, and you don't miss the chance to come closer to your King. Because just like there is the scariness of apathy (longer you stay apathetic, the harder it is to change), there is also the beautifulness of caring. The longer you are passionate about Jesus, the easier it is to make it a lifestyle, not just a phase.
Grace

Thankfulness

First of all, I want to say I am sorry I didn't publish a post earlier. I will continue to try to do them every week, but it got to almost two. I promise I will really try to keep going. Also, I tried the time with God every morning idea, and while I can't say I kept up with it perfectly, when I did, it was amazing. It changed the tone of my whole day- I can't tell you how awesome that is.

Onto my topic today- thankfulness. It is one of the most simple instructions of God, but seems to be one of the hardest to carry out. We know we should be thankful, but there is always a nagging voice, saying "God didn't take care of that. I've been better than all the people around me, but He gave them more than he gave me." And I think we sincerely believe that. But that is such a skewed perspective.

Think about this. God created a world for His glory, where He could make creatures in His own image, and they could worship him while he provided them with beautiful lives. He gave the first humans, Adam and Eve everything they could ever want, gave them a spectacular life. Adam and Eve had that. But, God gave one instruction. That they could eat from any of the fruit trees in the garden, except for one. They were not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. And that's the one thing they did. 

If I was God, I would've probably said "Whatever. This whole human thing didn't work out. I'll just go back to my perfect life in Heaven and be done with it." But that couldn't be farther from what God did. He fully realized that we had done the one simple thing he told us not to- so he sent his only child to get murdered in a horribly painful and shameful way so we could get off the hook. He made a way for us, who do the one thing he hates more than anything every single day, to come live with Him when we die. That is INCREDIBLE. How could we feel anything but thankful?

How many times have you talked to God this week, without asking for a single thing? Simply giving glory to His name? I haven't once. And I know for myself that God deserves better than that, for all He has done. 

1 Thessalonians 5:17 ESV- Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  

Psalm 136:1 ESV- Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.

Grace