"What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things, I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ."
Philippians 3:8
This verse was a part of my devotions this morning, and while I was driving today i heard a song that had this in it. The word ALL and everything, really stick out to me and something that I've been thinking of the last while off and on. Just how EVERYTHING, i consider a loss...compared to knowing Jesus! knowing Jesus is that important. more important than ALL the things I own(all God's anyway), than my thoughts, than the people in my life...this list can pry go on but im tired to expand it.
But just think about what the word ALL and EVERYTHING truly mean....all the worldly things, things we cannot take with us when JEsus returns or we die, that we hold onto...ALL those things we should be counting as loss for the sake of knowing Christ, so that we can GAIN Christ. chew on that please. I will to.
ALL. EVERYTHING. key words. important words.
Is Christ your everything?! Do you consider everything in your life a loss for the sake of knowing Christ?!?!
I want to.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
Weaknesses....God is showing me that weaknesses are okay. Talking about my weaknesses, are okay. I don't have to put on this front that I am together, I can talk about my weaknesses as they are, IN them and not AFTER them or just about them. I need to come to a point where I am okay in my weaknesses. Ok in admitting my weakness, through my weakness, especially with other people.
I tend to care how people view me. Therefore, I hide my weaknesses, while they are weaknesses. Then when they aren't so much a weakness anymore, I talk about them.
That is not what this verse is saying. at all. to me. I need to talk about my weaknesses, in my weaknesses. To show the power of Christ. The thought of boasting in my weaknesses, is foreign to me. But it shouldn't be. If I really want Christ's power to rest on me...I need to allow my weaknesses, to be just what they are...weaknesses and to not hide them. By hiding them, I am basically making them worse. By talking about them, I am making them aware to myself and to others more, so that they can be worked on, and so that Christ's power can be revealed in healing me from them.
This is good for me. I needed this.
Jesus' grace is sufficient for me and His power is made perfect in my weaknesses.
2 Corinthians 12:9
Weaknesses....God is showing me that weaknesses are okay. Talking about my weaknesses, are okay. I don't have to put on this front that I am together, I can talk about my weaknesses as they are, IN them and not AFTER them or just about them. I need to come to a point where I am okay in my weaknesses. Ok in admitting my weakness, through my weakness, especially with other people.
I tend to care how people view me. Therefore, I hide my weaknesses, while they are weaknesses. Then when they aren't so much a weakness anymore, I talk about them.
That is not what this verse is saying. at all. to me. I need to talk about my weaknesses, in my weaknesses. To show the power of Christ. The thought of boasting in my weaknesses, is foreign to me. But it shouldn't be. If I really want Christ's power to rest on me...I need to allow my weaknesses, to be just what they are...weaknesses and to not hide them. By hiding them, I am basically making them worse. By talking about them, I am making them aware to myself and to others more, so that they can be worked on, and so that Christ's power can be revealed in healing me from them.
This is good for me. I needed this.
Jesus' grace is sufficient for me and His power is made perfect in my weaknesses.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Hebrews 12:1
I am falling more in love with God's word doing this, and its only been a couple days!
But tonight while reading a few verses that have been sent to me, I just love the words of God. but what good are they to me, if I don't obey them?! If they are not written on my heart?!
So that is my prayer...that I obey these words that pierce and bring joy and light to my heart.
Hebrews 12:1
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perserverance the race marked out for us..."
I love this verse. the verse after it, is one of my favorites. but today, this is the verse that hits home. esp the last line...run with perserverance the race marked out for you...i find a hard time doing this. and with letting go of the sin that EASILY entangles me...for some reason i find that so hard as well to let go of.
but right God, times are a little bit tough, becasue im in an uncomfortable state of life, something im not use to, something new to me and to my spirit, but its what my spirit longs for and desires. and Satan is trying to tell me otherwise and pull me the other way...but God is holding onto me tightly!
So i just need to keep perservering. which a while ago perserverance was a word that God kinda showed me one day, it kinda wrecked me day (in a good way of course!) cuz its a word ive never really thought about. but i should think about it all the time. because each day, we are perservering. Satan is constantly throwing stuff at us, and that stuff is what we just need to not let entangle us. we need to perservere thru that, and hold onto God, while He(God) is holding onto us! and we can only perservere through the Holy Spirit!
Here is a cool tid bit: in my bible, i love to write little notes when thoughts come or someone says something cool about a verse. and by this one, I have to picture your at an old olympic stadium. (surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses!). and we are running this race...that has been marked out....and we may trip, we may have people pass us by, we may have people try to dodge in front of us to trip us up or mess around with us...but we just need to perservere.
Perservere. Thank you God. For your Word. For giving me perserverance. Help me Spirit to perservere in You, more each day. By your truth, no matter what the situation! You are Greater God! I Love You!
But tonight while reading a few verses that have been sent to me, I just love the words of God. but what good are they to me, if I don't obey them?! If they are not written on my heart?!
So that is my prayer...that I obey these words that pierce and bring joy and light to my heart.
Hebrews 12:1
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perserverance the race marked out for us..."
I love this verse. the verse after it, is one of my favorites. but today, this is the verse that hits home. esp the last line...run with perserverance the race marked out for you...i find a hard time doing this. and with letting go of the sin that EASILY entangles me...for some reason i find that so hard as well to let go of.
but right God, times are a little bit tough, becasue im in an uncomfortable state of life, something im not use to, something new to me and to my spirit, but its what my spirit longs for and desires. and Satan is trying to tell me otherwise and pull me the other way...but God is holding onto me tightly!
So i just need to keep perservering. which a while ago perserverance was a word that God kinda showed me one day, it kinda wrecked me day (in a good way of course!) cuz its a word ive never really thought about. but i should think about it all the time. because each day, we are perservering. Satan is constantly throwing stuff at us, and that stuff is what we just need to not let entangle us. we need to perservere thru that, and hold onto God, while He(God) is holding onto us! and we can only perservere through the Holy Spirit!
Here is a cool tid bit: in my bible, i love to write little notes when thoughts come or someone says something cool about a verse. and by this one, I have to picture your at an old olympic stadium. (surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses!). and we are running this race...that has been marked out....and we may trip, we may have people pass us by, we may have people try to dodge in front of us to trip us up or mess around with us...but we just need to perservere.
Perservere. Thank you God. For your Word. For giving me perserverance. Help me Spirit to perservere in You, more each day. By your truth, no matter what the situation! You are Greater God! I Love You!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Psalm 19:14
"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer."
Psalm 19:14
I think that I need to read this verse every day of my life. All to often, my words and my meditations are not pleasing to God. they are not even pleasing to me. and this just can't be. it is a nice reminder that I am created to please the King. That God is my Rock on which I stand, on which my words come from heart, and my Redeemer in when they are not pleasing, He has redeemed me from those things. I jsut need to claim them. Claiming seems to be a hard thing for me i am finding out. But it is something I just need to do. Like i told someone tonight, nike says it best "just do it." sometimes, we just have to embrace and just let God do it. because we honestly can't do it, we don't know what to do or how to do the things we are asked. If that makes any sense to you. it does to me. hah.
I am created to please my King. My Rock, and my Redeemer. May my words God, be pleasing in your sight. and may the meditations of my heart, be on your truth. on your righteousness. on your Holiness.
Psalm 19:14
I think that I need to read this verse every day of my life. All to often, my words and my meditations are not pleasing to God. they are not even pleasing to me. and this just can't be. it is a nice reminder that I am created to please the King. That God is my Rock on which I stand, on which my words come from heart, and my Redeemer in when they are not pleasing, He has redeemed me from those things. I jsut need to claim them. Claiming seems to be a hard thing for me i am finding out. But it is something I just need to do. Like i told someone tonight, nike says it best "just do it." sometimes, we just have to embrace and just let God do it. because we honestly can't do it, we don't know what to do or how to do the things we are asked. If that makes any sense to you. it does to me. hah.
I am created to please my King. My Rock, and my Redeemer. May my words God, be pleasing in your sight. and may the meditations of my heart, be on your truth. on your righteousness. on your Holiness.
Monday, April 26, 2010
2 Timothy 1:7
Today's verse was between two, but I decided on the 2 Timothy one because it was a reminder to me. One that I need reminded of many times, one that i tend to forget about all too often. Especially with the biblical name of Embraced, and in learning and trying to embrace life and all God has for me, I need to be reminded of this passage.
2 Timothy 1:7
"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline."
the NKJV says "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."
I like the NKJV the best. Because it explains what timidity is. and instead of the word self-discipline. which is good. it uses 'a sound mind.' which is very relevant to me. for my mind is my gift. but it also is a hard thing for me to control and to give control over. It seems that just when God has gained victory, Satan starts feeding my mind and my mind just soaks it up, creating captivity, once again. So this verse just reminds me, that God has given me the power of a sound mind, IN HIM. and of love, to accept love from Himself but also to be able to give love. and He has not given me a spirit of fear...which i tend to forget this often, becasue i walk in fear everyday of my life, whether i am aware of this or not. :/ In God, I can embrace. I can live Embraced.
I just wanna type the verse out again. It's that good! and I will just leave you all with that.
"God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."
2 Timothy 1:7
"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline."
the NKJV says "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."
I like the NKJV the best. Because it explains what timidity is. and instead of the word self-discipline. which is good. it uses 'a sound mind.' which is very relevant to me. for my mind is my gift. but it also is a hard thing for me to control and to give control over. It seems that just when God has gained victory, Satan starts feeding my mind and my mind just soaks it up, creating captivity, once again. So this verse just reminds me, that God has given me the power of a sound mind, IN HIM. and of love, to accept love from Himself but also to be able to give love. and He has not given me a spirit of fear...which i tend to forget this often, becasue i walk in fear everyday of my life, whether i am aware of this or not. :/ In God, I can embrace. I can live Embraced.
I just wanna type the verse out again. It's that good! and I will just leave you all with that.
"God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."
John 17
For today's verse(s) its extremely hard for me to limit it. I was reading from John 17 today. Where Jesus prays Himself, His Disciples, and All Believers. Incredible. So I encourage you to read the whole chapter and pray that it ministers to your heart!
But I will share John 17:3-5
"Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."
Eternal life, is knowing God. knowing Jesus. Not just knowing about God, but KNOWING Him, personally and intimately which is capable by God's Spirit, The Holy Spirit. I constantly desire for more of an intimate relationship with God, and its just really cool to know that I can have that. and that through that relatinship and knowing God, I have eternal life. I am living eternal life. Right now in an imperfect body, In the future, someday, in a perfect, glorified body! In all...I will and do know God and Jesus Christ!
"I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do."
Jesus glorified God by completing God's plan and purpose for Him on this earth. Through that, God's glory was brought to the earth. Because of that, we can glorify God by doing what God's plan and purpose for our lives are, here on earth! So often I try to do my own thing, and still expecting or desiring to glorify God. but how can I glorify God if I'm not doing the work He has given me to do? If my heart's desire is to glorify God, I need walk in the purpose He has for my life. Just like Jesus did.
"And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began."
I love this verse, for the reason and awesomeness of that Jesus asks God to glorify Him in His presence with the glory Jesus had BEFORE the world began! AMAZING! Jesus was limited on earth. He wasn't in His full glory. He had to leave some of that behind. This verse to me, kinda indicates that Jesus desired the glory He had before creation. Course if I were Him, and knew this Glory like no other, and just left part of it behind, I would desire it too (i kinda already do desire this glory, for when Jesus returns!) Yet He loved us so much, that He did leave some glory behind. Yet He is still so glorious that we should fall facedown.
I never really noticed these verses. I mean i must have cuz they are underlined and squiggled. But they just popped out at me this morning. and just completely stunned me and amazed me. The glory of Jesus! The sacrifice of Jesus. The knowledge of Jesus. For me.
But I will share John 17:3-5
"Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."
Eternal life, is knowing God. knowing Jesus. Not just knowing about God, but KNOWING Him, personally and intimately which is capable by God's Spirit, The Holy Spirit. I constantly desire for more of an intimate relationship with God, and its just really cool to know that I can have that. and that through that relatinship and knowing God, I have eternal life. I am living eternal life. Right now in an imperfect body, In the future, someday, in a perfect, glorified body! In all...I will and do know God and Jesus Christ!
"I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do."
Jesus glorified God by completing God's plan and purpose for Him on this earth. Through that, God's glory was brought to the earth. Because of that, we can glorify God by doing what God's plan and purpose for our lives are, here on earth! So often I try to do my own thing, and still expecting or desiring to glorify God. but how can I glorify God if I'm not doing the work He has given me to do? If my heart's desire is to glorify God, I need walk in the purpose He has for my life. Just like Jesus did.
"And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began."
I love this verse, for the reason and awesomeness of that Jesus asks God to glorify Him in His presence with the glory Jesus had BEFORE the world began! AMAZING! Jesus was limited on earth. He wasn't in His full glory. He had to leave some of that behind. This verse to me, kinda indicates that Jesus desired the glory He had before creation. Course if I were Him, and knew this Glory like no other, and just left part of it behind, I would desire it too (i kinda already do desire this glory, for when Jesus returns!) Yet He loved us so much, that He did leave some glory behind. Yet He is still so glorious that we should fall facedown.
I never really noticed these verses. I mean i must have cuz they are underlined and squiggled. But they just popped out at me this morning. and just completely stunned me and amazed me. The glory of Jesus! The sacrifice of Jesus. The knowledge of Jesus. For me.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Daniel 6:4-5
This is my new challenge to myself....and I am doing it publicly so that I am more likely to stay committed to it.
I want to blog, or share or whatever you call this...about a verse from the Living Word of God that really touched my heart in each day.
So today's verse was given to me by my friend Tina this morning from her devotions.
Daniel 6:4-5
"...They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally these men said, 'We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.'"
Daniel 6 is about Daniel in the Lion's Den. The King's officials, or what is equivalent to a governor i believe, want to basically wanted to put Daniel away. But what i absolutely love, and what really stood out to me...was that they could literally find NO CORRUPTION in Daniel. I remember the other day someone said in our biblical training about this, that there is no record of sin in the life of Daniel in the bible. not saying he never sinned, but its just not recorded in the bible. this amazes me. as a being who sins daily, its almost unfathomable. Imagine someone wanting to put you away, and searching and searching to find something wrong and corrupt in you...it probably wouldnt take them very long to get something on you...(Satan does it all the time...and haunts us with those things) but with Daniel..they could not find anything. What they did realize, was that the only way they could get him, is if it had to do with his God. so they persuaded the King to create a law about everyone worshipping him and in short they set it up cuz they knew Daniel would not stop worshipping his God, to worship the King, and they caught Daniel praying.
They had to use deception, in the law, to get Daniel. and even so, Daniel still triumphed because God shut the lions mouths!
So I guess even though I still have corruption in me, and am not like Daniel, there is hope for that day when I see Jesus face to face, and will be perfect. THEN there will be no corruption in my soul! Until then, I trust and believe in God's awesome grace, and trustworthyness. and Strive to stay true to my Savior, and to live a righteous life, that was purchased by the blood of the perfect, spotless Lamb.
Thank you Jesus.
I want to blog, or share or whatever you call this...about a verse from the Living Word of God that really touched my heart in each day.
So today's verse was given to me by my friend Tina this morning from her devotions.
Daniel 6:4-5
"...They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally these men said, 'We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.'"
Daniel 6 is about Daniel in the Lion's Den. The King's officials, or what is equivalent to a governor i believe, want to basically wanted to put Daniel away. But what i absolutely love, and what really stood out to me...was that they could literally find NO CORRUPTION in Daniel. I remember the other day someone said in our biblical training about this, that there is no record of sin in the life of Daniel in the bible. not saying he never sinned, but its just not recorded in the bible. this amazes me. as a being who sins daily, its almost unfathomable. Imagine someone wanting to put you away, and searching and searching to find something wrong and corrupt in you...it probably wouldnt take them very long to get something on you...(Satan does it all the time...and haunts us with those things) but with Daniel..they could not find anything. What they did realize, was that the only way they could get him, is if it had to do with his God. so they persuaded the King to create a law about everyone worshipping him and in short they set it up cuz they knew Daniel would not stop worshipping his God, to worship the King, and they caught Daniel praying.
They had to use deception, in the law, to get Daniel. and even so, Daniel still triumphed because God shut the lions mouths!
So I guess even though I still have corruption in me, and am not like Daniel, there is hope for that day when I see Jesus face to face, and will be perfect. THEN there will be no corruption in my soul! Until then, I trust and believe in God's awesome grace, and trustworthyness. and Strive to stay true to my Savior, and to live a righteous life, that was purchased by the blood of the perfect, spotless Lamb.
Thank you Jesus.
Monday, April 5, 2010
I have a huge role.
This is Honest Jill..
This morning our leadership training group got together and went over a few scenarios and how we would or should react. So there was some role playing going on. I realized, that I am horrible at role playing...I tense up, my mind goes blank...bla bla bla.
This really kinda bothered me, cuz of course Satan then told me (like he does all the time) that I can't do what I am supposed to be doing. and that is building people and being in relationships with people.
But the other day, my dear friend sent me some verses, or chapters more like it! And i would like to share. Because I was just thinking how I struggle so badly, to see things through God's perspective and to embrace people and myself and Him and to be the godly woman God has called me to be, who He is molding me to be, i fail all the time. and i tend to be quite hard on myself. BUT, Jesus has made me victorious, and will continue to mold me, and to pick me up...(Thank you Father for grace and never letting go!)
1 Corinthians 12 (read all of 12-31 PLEASE!)
"The Body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many; they form one body...Now you are the body of Christ and each one of you is a part of it." (verse 1 and 27 in short!)
We all have a special part. we all have the same Spirit of God inside of us. We are all ONE body. I don't know how to get my excitement and realization across from this, but I pray that myself, and all of us walk in this truth. and strive for this to be true in our lives, and in our relationships and in our mindsets. Lift each other up, die to yourself, embrace others, embrace LIFE, and walk in truth and in confidence. We have something to be confident about, and that is that we have the Spirit of God inside of us!!!! We need to stop walking around defeated and start walking victorious. (im talking to myself here!)
"I'm a treasure in the arms of Christ." Sanctus Real
This morning our leadership training group got together and went over a few scenarios and how we would or should react. So there was some role playing going on. I realized, that I am horrible at role playing...I tense up, my mind goes blank...bla bla bla.
This really kinda bothered me, cuz of course Satan then told me (like he does all the time) that I can't do what I am supposed to be doing. and that is building people and being in relationships with people.
But the other day, my dear friend sent me some verses, or chapters more like it! And i would like to share. Because I was just thinking how I struggle so badly, to see things through God's perspective and to embrace people and myself and Him and to be the godly woman God has called me to be, who He is molding me to be, i fail all the time. and i tend to be quite hard on myself. BUT, Jesus has made me victorious, and will continue to mold me, and to pick me up...(Thank you Father for grace and never letting go!)
1 Corinthians 12 (read all of 12-31 PLEASE!)
"The Body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many; they form one body...Now you are the body of Christ and each one of you is a part of it." (verse 1 and 27 in short!)
We all have a special part. we all have the same Spirit of God inside of us. We are all ONE body. I don't know how to get my excitement and realization across from this, but I pray that myself, and all of us walk in this truth. and strive for this to be true in our lives, and in our relationships and in our mindsets. Lift each other up, die to yourself, embrace others, embrace LIFE, and walk in truth and in confidence. We have something to be confident about, and that is that we have the Spirit of God inside of us!!!! We need to stop walking around defeated and start walking victorious. (im talking to myself here!)
"I'm a treasure in the arms of Christ." Sanctus Real
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