why not to worry

i must admit, i'm the biggest worrier in the world. but in reading Philippians 4:4-20 today, i know that i cannot be a "worrier" and i must be a "warrior." Jesus has already fought the good, long battle for me, so then, why do i fear?

what applies to me especially today is verse 6 telling me "do not be anxious about anything." i have a HUGE exam today and i have been especially worried. i don't know what to expect, we didn't cover many of the things on the study guide and there's so much information that to me it seems impossible to know it all. but WAIT, verse 13 tells me that "I can do all things through HE who gives me strength." Shouldn't this promise be enough to reassure me? I feel that it is my nature as a human being to have doubts and sometimes not believe that I can do things, but I must try to practice the fact that I cannot doubt my Almighty God, because he will work for the good of those who love Him and He has great plans for me.

I must set sight on heavenly things, focus on reality and not on what i cannot change. God has already predetermined what is going to happen on this test and i know that i've done my readings and studied. whatever happens is his will.

the same goes for my life. i shouldn't sweat the small things (soooo hard for me to do! i always stress!) but i should know that there is a plan for me and no matter what i do, i'm not changing the original design for my life. i was meant for great things and i can do it, but only with God's gracious helping hand.

don't waste it

so i'm listening to this song today because my friend wrote to me on facebook about it. we used to listen to this song when we were together abroad and i remember that it made me cry the last days that i was there because the song talks about TODAY and "don't waste it, it's only here for today, you don't own it, so you can't just give it away." and although perhaps the band doesn't think about it the way that i do, i think that this is an important truth to reflect on. i DON'T own today so it's not mine to waste in self-pity, in doubt and in spite.

Psalm 40 is another song of praise to the Lord, praising him for taking the author out of misery and for being such a great God. David wants to spend his days praising his Lord, the one who saved him. he says
"I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.
I do not conceal your love and your truth
from the great assembly."
This is how i must live. I must be an example of righteousness, love and truth and never cease to share his great faithfulness. Only then will I have lived a fulfilled life.

David's struggle does not end here, and neither does our struggle, which is why we need to always seek God diligently even when the times are good and everything seems perfect. I feel that it's always hardest to seek God when I'm happy because...well...i'm happy and don't need "help" in a sense. but i always will need God's help and should be faithful to him as he is faithful to me.

my soul longs for you...

it is clear that this Bible passage is most known for the worship song based around it. but the message is so clear and powerful.

when my dad preaches on Sundays, he always has us pay attention to repetition in any Bible passage because it is a clear indication of what is important and what we should look at. twice in this chapter we are faced with the question "where is your God?" and twice the author mentions his downcast soul. Yet in comparison, our Lord's name is mentioned roughly 14 times, a clear answer as to where God is. he is everywhere and he must be in our lives and he must be where our hope lies! immediately after the author questions his downcast soul, he mentions that his HOPE lies in the LORD and that he will praise Him in the midst of it.

so i think about this and chew on it a little and think back to David's time. David was the King of Israel, he was hated, persecuted and faced his share of family drama and the ramifications of his sinful actions. He was going through some real heavy duty stuff. if he was able to turn away from all this and find hope in the Lord, then so can i. God hasn't failed me yet, nor will he ever if i'm faithful to him as well, right?

i don't mean to sound like a "holier-than-thou" type of person because i know that at times, it is hard for be to remember that i have to trust God for everything. in the spur of the moment, our instinct is to fix it ourselves or to freak out! but i know that i'm going to try my hardest to take a minute and go in search of the Lord for answers and not to take things into my own hands.

poverty and how we relate

Today was the Miami Poverty Conference, an initiative that I've been working on since last semester. This is something really personal to me because my heart lies in the hurting and especially those stuck in a perpetual cycle of poverty. Living in Miami has made me see the disparities between the rich and the poor and I want to do something about it, even if starting something will take awhile.

I was really happy at how the conference turned out! many people came by and the speakers were great. it's comforting to know that others in this world are as concerned with poverty as i am. what's best is that they are so passionate for this cause and some have given up everything for the struggle. what hit me the most was when we held a panel called "Faces of Poverty" and interviewed four homeless people with HIV and saw how that affected their lives. these people were so real and their stories impacted students and showed us the other side of life...the side that doesn't go to school and get a degree, the side that is expected to fail.

2 Corinthians 8:8-15 is particularly important because it mentions a lot of key factors. sometimes i find myself asking why certain people are in poverty and why i am not. if God is so loving, then why does the world suffer? and i feel that this passage provides that answer. Jesus humbled himself to become one of us in hopes of giving us the best gift of all--eternal life. he basically gave it all up to save me. and maybe he wants us to do a little of that for others as well. maybe we're supposed to give a little to save someone else as well. this is the only route to equality...because as God loves all, so must we! it's simple, isn't it?

my efforts should be because i genuinely care for the suffering and the less fortunate, not because it's something i'm forced to do or because i think it's what i should do to look good. we must love others because God loved us first, as the passage from yesterday read. it's amazing to me how the Bible all fits in together so well and makes so much sense. i hope that you will see the same thing!

1 John 4

This has forever been one of my favorite passages because it talks about something so relevant to all of us--love. I really love how the point of this chapter is that we can't say that we love someone is we don't love God even more. God is love and if we don't know God then we don't know love, it's a simple equation.

how can I say that I love, if I don't even know what the meaning of it is. worse yet, how can I say that I love God if I'm trash talking everyone behind their back? this relates to my chapter from yesterday, where we are supposed to love even the hardest people because that's the true test. If God can love me first, despite the fact that I'm a sinner and I mess up and I'm a bad person, then why can't I love others?

Let's make it our intention to love unconditionally. this world could use a little of that.

daily food- Luke 6

I think that I'm going to try to do this more often, as a way of not only thinking on my own, but sharing my thoughts in hopes that others will do the same.

today I woke up and focused on Luke 6, a passage that can be rather odd because there's a lot going on, but also a passage that can serve as a reminder of the person we should be.

what gets me the most is where the chapter talks about loving the difficult because it is there that the challenge lies. it is sooo easy for me to love my family and friends yet obviously it is difficult for me to love those who hurt me. and though i am tempted to give them a taste of their own medicine, reading this passage today pretty much grounded me. it serves as a reminder that i must turn the other cheek and not give into the same game. the change starts with ME.

life challenges us immensely, but, how will we react to it? that says a lot about our character, more than anything really. because the way we handle little challenges says a lot about how we will handle the bigger picture.

i hope to be an example of this, i hope to make the difference instead of expecting others to do so. my prayer is that you too, will see this need, and that others will be able to live by your example. i may not be perfect in all that i do, but i do know that people can see that i am full of love for others and that my calling is to serve. i am thankful that i have the ability to do so.