God Uses EVERYTHING & EVERYONE

I know I have not written in SO long, and I'm really sad about that. There have, indeed, been many things I have wanted to write about, but I just haven't found the time or the motivation to sit down and take the time to really flesh out my thoughts... So, here I am, not writing a lesson persay, but just some things I have learned over Spring Break and this first week back at school. :) Hope God speaks to you through them!

...God uses ordinary projects to teach EXTRAORDINARY things to His people.

Yes, even icky school projects. Over spring break (I know, I'm lame and do homework over break), I was reading research to prepare for my huge english project/paper. Because of the blessing of being at a Christian college, I get to write it on Hinduism & Christianity. I was reading the story of a woman who was a devout Hindu, but found Christ through the word of God and made a huge impact on her nation (India) for His Kingdom's sake. It was talking about her experience and it went into the background of a certain people group within Hinduism. These people are labeled as "unprepared" for salvation. In fact, their only hope for salvation is to do enough good works to be reincarnated (reborn as a human again after death) into the highest class of people within Hinduism--the Braham--the priestly class. And God spoke to me through this, by reminding me that our High Priest is Jesus Christ. And He became this as a fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament. There was a priesthood that were the only ones able to enter into the Presence of God in the Temple and in the Tabernacle (older, moveable version of the Temple). In fact, it was so dangerous for them to be in there--because Christ hadn't come yet, and God's holiness was still so separate from His people and their disobedience--that bells were tied onto a rope around an ankle of the priest and the rope extended to where the "normal" people were so that if the bells stopped moving (aka the priest was no longer alive, he had done something wrong)...they could pull the body out! It's really a crazy story that goes throughout the Bible all the way up until when Christ was on the cross, and the curtain that separated the Holy of Holies (where God's presence was), was split right down the middle, signally that Jesus had died for our sins and made a way, THE way, to enter into the presence of God.

Whew!!!! Yeah, God taught me all that through a SCHOOL PROJECT!!! And through this teaching, God confirmed both my calling as an international missionary as well as my calling to go work with the Hindus this summer in India. :) SO cool.

So, main thing I would like to see you get through that story? God is NOT limited by our time restraints or projects or papers or busyness. He wants to teach through it ALL. :)

...God convicts us where we need conviction, but in His divine and awesome mercy & grace, affirms us where we need to be affirmed.

Yeah, in the last part of the 1st story, you saw the affirmation in my calling for now & later. But does that mean I'm just growing growing growing in my faith and not struggling? Absolutely not! I've been convicted so much recently about not personifying God's LOVE. I've been reading "Desiring God" by John Piper. It's a really hard book in general, and the ideas are sometime really hard to grasp. And I was really confused as I began the chapter entitled "Love." ...probably because it was almost midnight. But anyway, I as began to read, it reminded me of 1st Corinthians 13:4-7...mainly, that "love is not jealous and is not easily provoked." Wow, what a just convicted spirit came over me. About just how jealous and easily provoked I am and have been for a while, especially in my friendships. It was not exactly fun, but as John 15 puts it, I must be pruned to be able to bear more fruit... So, I was being pruned. And now I have to act upon that pruning so that I can bear fruit by actions!

So, main thing? Accept both conviction and affirmation. Don't be easily swayed into one or the other and just stay there...it makes only for more pruning in the long run and less fruit bearing.

I hope God speaks to you today! :)