Overflowing

You poor dears, waiting on me so long for another post. This semester has been so good and rich and filled with change in me which I am longing to get into words... but for now, I would like to open the new year with just one word.

Overflowing

This is my word for 2013. 

As I was reading  my Bible this morning, I was praying and asking God how He wanted to shape and sand me this upcoming year. I'm reading through Psalm 119, one section a day, and today my verses were 17-24. The ones that stuck out to me were:

"Do good to your servant, and I will live; I will obey your word. Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. (17-18)

My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times. You rebuke the arrogant, who are cursed and who stray from your commands. (20-21)

Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors." (24)

I am always struck by how much this psalmist desires to love God's word. It's quite an intense longing - he calls God's word his delight, wonderful, his counselor. I know I don't have that - and I want it. I fear I am too much like the arrogant sometimes - loving myself too much to give much heed to His commands. I want to delight and be consumed with longing for God's word and God himself.

I was reminded of a New Testament passage that talked about obeying God's commands, and so I turned to these verses:

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." ~John 15:9-11

Here was the whole picture. To love God's word because I love to obey God. This results in complete and perfect joy. Overflowing.

Overflowing is only the outward result of all this inner connection and interconnection between myself and God through His word. If I want to be described as overflowing, I will have to continually drink from the Source of all that I want to spill out of my life. I can't overflow Melody-ness - that would be a very poor, brackish, disgusting kind of water. Only when I overflow God-ness - His joy, His peace, His love - will my life pour out living water that gives life to all it touches.

And by God's grace, that is exactly what I want to do this year. 

The Fountain (Guest Post)

The forest is blooming with life…the fresh fragrance of the wildflowers and trees filling the air as a soft breeze sweeps around you, almost lifting and carrying you further down the path. You continue walking, drinking in the glorious beauty and the silence and wonder of it all as the woodland continues to come alive…as everything around you continues to sing anew and praise their Creator. Then you see it…glints of sunshine sparkling and shimmering on the water’s surface, beckoning you to come closer to the treasure that awaits you.

You make your way to the water’s edge and find yourself gazing into the clear, pristine spring water…taken aback by the vigorous and fresh life surrounding you, all nourished by this life sustaining blessing. You dip your hands into the spring, bring the gleaming water to your mouth, and as you drink it in, you are instantly filled…refreshed…and renewed; the glistening water a true treasure…a beautiful treasure.

“But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” ~John 4:14

“Even before we have a clear idea of what this image is referring to, we yearn for it because it seems to imply sweet coolness and refreshment; it implies moisture and growth and life…These very evocative words refer to something real…they are meant to put us in touch with something solid and powerful and living outside ourselves” (John Piper).

The water Christ gives us takes away our thirst forever…He satisfies every longing of our heart and promises to be our Sustainer, and it is all so truly beautiful. It’s in Him that we have a fountain of life, and it’s in Him that we live and are thus filled with His strength and comfort and love. Nothing refreshes my soul as much as being in His presence and walking with Him, because it is in Him I am strengthened, in Him I restored, and through Him I am transformed and made new.

“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” ~John 7:37-38

Christ’s Words and life carry this living water, and “the essence of believing in Jesus is finding in Him the satisfaction of our deepest soul-thirst.” He promises that we will be satisfied. “When a drop of His water falls on the parched land of our soul, it doesn’t make a puddle; it makes a spring, and from the spring there flows a river. Drink in Christ by faith, pour Christ out in praise and love, and never thirst again; drink deep and savor the magnificence of Jesus who fulfills all” (John Piper).

“For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.” ~Psalm 36:9

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Lauren Nicole is a young lady whose heart's desire is to live daily for her Heavenly Prince and Savior. A few of her favorite things include adventures, dreaming, simplicity, disney world, sunshine, orchestras, books, handwritten letters, kindred hearts, and diamond-filled skies. She is the authoress of the blog, With a Smile and a Song, where she hopes to inspire and encourage others to live wholeheartedly and courageously for Jesus Christ.

Because He delights in me

Recently, in my reading through the Psalms, I was struck with a vivid description in Psalm 18. In verses seven through fifteen, the author David describes God in such vivid, powerful terms that I could not help coming away awestruck. Listen to these powerful words:

The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled because he was angry.
Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.

He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.
He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.

He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him -
the dark rain clouds of the sky.
Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.

The LORD thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.
He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies
great bolts of lightning and routed them.

The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, O LORD,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

Doesn't that take your breath away? But the even more amazing thing is in the next verse:

He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.

And why did this all-mighty, totally powerful and incredibly HUGE God do this for me? Verse 19 has the answer:

He rescued me because he delighted in me. 

How amazing is this love? I can't even begin to comprehend it!

Thoughts on Words (Guest Post)

Hello everyone! My name is Miss ALK and I’m the author of the blog Confessions of a Maine Teenager. I was so honored when Melody asked me to guest post for her! My post today is similar to one that I posted a couple months ago on my blog, with the same title… 

Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. ~Proverbs 16:24 NIV 

One night back in July,  I was flipping through the book of Proverbs in my Bible, and the words “Pleasant words” caught my eye, and I stopped to read the worse, which was Proverbs 16:24. It really stuck out to me, and I felt as though that was just what I needed to hear, since speech and language are such important tools that we all use every day. This verse reminded me that they are a gift from the Lord, and we have to bless him in the ways that we use them!

As Christians, we need to be extremely careful about the words that we say, either in real life, online, or in our thoughts, because Christians are called to be an example to others. (Note: This doesn't mean that Christians are "better" then other people. That is entirely false, and all are created equal in God's eyes.) What I mean though is that typically when someone who is not a believer finds out that you are a Christian, they may begin to watch your actions and words a bit more closely, and we should try extra hard to be good examples, and show the "right" uses for words.

Cursing and using profanity is a sin, especially when it’s the Lord’s name in vain that is being used! Disappointing Him should be enough reason not to use these types of words, but another good reason not to is that foul language can help to ruin someone’s reputation. However, choosing not to curse doesn’t mean that you can never express anger. It just means to think twice about the type of language that you do to do so. For example, when I’m upset, I use words like “oh man,” “shoot,” and “oh gosh,” which are much better alternatives to cursing, and still get the point across!

Another thing that I thought about after reading this verse was how we can use words to encourage and uplift. This verse describes kind words as “sweet to the soul.” I think that everyone could use a little sweetness to the soul! Isn’t it nice when someone gives you a genuine compliment? It always brightens my day. :) Instead of complaining all of the time, how about trying to make someone else happy by telling them something kind? You’ll be surprised at how much better you will feel!

Now remember, no one is perfect, and there will be times when we will make mistakes with our words, and say things that are cruel or wrong. But amazingly, we serve a wonderful God who forgives us when we mess up! The most important thing is to thank God for his forgiveness, and learn from your mistake.

I hope that this post was an encouragement to you!

Blessings
xoxo Miss ALK


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About the guest poster: Miss ALK is a soon to be 17 year old teenager from Maine. She blogs at Confessions of a Maine Teenager, where she blogs about faith, friendship, fashion, music, entertainment and her life! She loves the ocean, bunnies, jewelry shopping, scrapbooking and the color aquamarine. She'd be honored if you visited her blog!

All about Him

As I was reading my Bible this morning, I came across this passage in Colossians:

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. ~Colossians 2:6-7 (NIV)

I've always loved these verses, but this time I read them I really tried to think about what it meant to live in Christ, to be rooted and built up in him.There's a lot packed into these two short verses.

From the very beginning of the verse, it's evident that I ought to live in Christ as I have received him. And how have I received him? As Lord. So my day to day living ought to always be with the attitude that He is my Lord, and I am His servant. He is my Master, I am His slave. My time, my possessions, my thoughts, my actions, my very life is not my own; it is a gift from my Master to use for Him.

As I live in Christ, I must also be rooted and built up in Him. I cannot just "abide" passively; I must dig down deep, always desiring to know more of Him. He sinks my rootlets down into real roots when I study and apply His word to my life. And He builds my character house up high when I listen to His voice and obey.

I must also be careful to continue in the same faith as I was taught, and not waver from the seemingly simple truths. Do I remind myself daily that Jesus loves me, that He died on the cross to save me? Do I remember that God is my Maker and made everything I can see (and more besides)?

The end of the verse could easily be skimmed over, but I think it's the most important. After all these other foundations are laid down - living in Christ, being rooted and built up in Him, and strengthened in the faith - then the natural result is overflowing with thankfulness to God. Thankfulness that He would use me as His servant, that He would root and build me up in Himself, and that He would be willing to die for me. As you can see, it's all about Him - we are simply the blessed beneficiaries of His grace. Oh that I would seek to praise Him even more!

Nightime Analogies

It's amazing what odd analogies I can come up with while driving at night. Last night as I was driving home from a Bible study I go to, I was going along a rather dark stretch of road. There weren't any cars within sight in front or behind me, so it was almost pitch black. Then along came a car, with the bright headlights that practically blinded me at first. And in the beam of that light, I could see that it was raining. Only where the light hit my windshield could I see the drops of rain, threatening to block my sight. Everywhere else, the rain was invisible. I turned my windshield wipers on so I could see.

This got me to thinking about an analogy. When I was driving in the darkness, I couldn't tell that it was raining at all. In the same way, it's so easy to say that you don't have sin when you are just living as a part of the world. You're only comparing yourself to others who are just as sinful as you, instead of looking at yourself in God's light. And whether you admit it or not, the sin is still there. As 1 John 1:8 says, "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."

Thankfully, as I saw, there is a cure for this. The cure is the truth of God's word, "a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path." In proportion to how much we read and apply God's word to our lives, that will be the measure of the light we have. And this light not only reveals the sin we must get rid of, but also helps to guide us in our path forward to holiness.

And the next verse in 1 John says, "But if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." This is like the windshield wiper coming and wiping away our sins. But unlike a windshield wiper, which has to continually wipe the water drops away, Jesus wipes those sins away completely. And He is faithful to do so each time we confess another sin to Him. 

Well, there you have it. My thoughts on how driving on a rainy night relates to God, light, the Bible, and sin. This analogy actually held together better than I thought it would! :)

Crowning Glory

I had a sort of revelation a few weeks ago. In the Bible study I go to, we're studying the gospel of John. We had just gotten to the chapter where Mary pours the perfume on Jesus' feet and then wipes them with her hair. I had never really given this story much thought - it's just a sweet story about Mary's love for Jesus, right? Well, I found out a lot more.

As I was reading through it, I realized that the focus of the story was that Mary was using such expensive perfume on Jesus, which Judas pointed out was a waste of money. But Jesus vindicated her, and said that Mary had her priorities right - that He would not be with them much longer and he was deserving of the most costly devotion they could give him.

As I thought about this, I realized another layer to the story. I thought of the verse in the Bible where it talks about woman's hair being her crowning glory. And that made me see the deeper layer. Mary was showing that she treasured Jesus not only by lavishing expensive perfume on his feet, but also by using her "glory" to serve at his feet.

This reminds me of the song, "We Fall Down, we lay our crowns at the feet of Jesus." And I had to ask myself, "What glory of mine do I need to lay at the feet of Jesus?" I have a tendency to hold on to my "glories", such as my talents, accomplishments, and even just the way I look. But only when I pour them out at Jesus' feet, desiring them to be a blessing to Him and to point others to His life and work, shall I myself be blessed.

And I know when I do this, it is a sweet aroma to Him - just as Mary's perfume must have been.

Amazing Love

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13

(Jesus speaking) "As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Now remain in my love. " John 15:9

John Chapter 15 is one of my favorite chapters of the Bible. In it, Jesus is teaching his disciples before his death about how they are to love each other just as He loves them. Jesus is the ultimate example of love - he loved us so much that he was willing to lay down his life. And he didn't just lay it down for his friends, he laid it down for his enemies as well! No wonder we sing of His "Amazing Love."

Jesus also calls us to love each other with the same kind of amazing love. In John 13:34-35, He says, "A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." [italics mine] There it is, clear as day. We must love one another as He has loved us!

This is a tall order, for sure. How can I love others as Jesus loved me? I can't sacrifice my life for them, can I? No, we can't actually die for those around us like Jesus did, but we can sacrifice things for them such as our time. Pray today and ask God how you can show His love, His amazing love, to those around you - even if they're not particularly lovable. Who knows what God can do through you if you're willing to show His love to others?