Broken Perfection- Part One

Lets be totally honest for a second. We all have some part of ourselves that we would want to change. For me it is my inability to speak my mind. There are so many times when I want to say whats on my mind, but I don't talk loud enough or with enough passion to speak. I normally get shut down when I try. We each have something that we want to change. And sometimes our lives can look like this.

No matter how hard you try you don't look like the model in the magazines. You aren't the smartest person in your class, and to be honest you grades stink. Or you have gone through so many broken relationships, that it seems like you can never be loved. You life can look like a pile of everything that is wrong, or everything that you failed at. You are probably wonder why God made you with all of these mistakes. Are you just an after thought that God forgot to finish you, because everywhere you look, everyone is perfect but you.
But God doesn't see you like that. He has a completely different image of who you are. 

God sees all of your mistakes and failures as perfection. Matthew 5:48 says, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Farther is perfect." Everyone of us is an image barrier as it says in Genesis 26a, "Then God said, 'Let us make man kind in our image, in our likeness.'" God created us to represent Him, and because God is perfect, we must be perfect. Now for some of us that is a little hard for us to wrap our heads around. But think of it this way, Jesus died for our sins, and because He did, God can see us as perfect. Jesus is the filter that makes us perfect. We will continue to mess up, but that is because there is sin in the world. The sin of this world makes us broken, but God's love is what makes us perfect. So now what image do you see yourself as, Image 1 or Image 2?

Wealth

As we grow up, we are often asked what we want to do with our lives. When we try to decide what we want to do, we try to think of a good paying job, so we could be rich. But what if life is not about how much money you have. 1 Timothy 6:17-19 says, "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant not to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life." Money can be a beautiful thing put when we let it consume us, and we start to put money before God, then we have a problem. Wealth and money could be easily stolen or destroyed, and it can't do even half of what can be done when we put our hope in God. We can't by happiness, but we can be happy when we put our trust in God and not money.
Also, the verse talks about sharing your wealth. When we give to the people who are in need, then we do get richer. But it is not the riches that can be found on the Earth. The riches are in heaven, and that we can enjoy forever. Just think about it, would you rather have tons of money during your time on Earth, which is about 100 years, or would you rather have tons of riches in heaven which would last for eternity. You don't have to just share your money to get riches in heaven. When you share your wealth of knowledge, or you lend a helping hand, then you gain riches in heaven.
So as we look for an upcoming job, should we really choose one that get make you wealthy, or should we choose one that allows us to share your wealth with the world?

Semester Review

The semester is finally over, and I didn't do as well in my classes as I would have hoped for. But let me say that I'm fine with it, for I know that this is a part of God's will for my life.
Many of you are probably asking how I can be happy about not getting the grades that I want. But thinking about it know, God doesn't care about grades. Grades are a thing that the world has made. The world tells you how good you are by how well you are compared to other people. Well God has a different view. Romans 12:2b says, "Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is --- His good, pleasing, and perfect will." God has a perfect will for our lives, but to us it can seem so imperfect. The thing is that we are only looking at a snapshot of our lives. As the Casting Crown song goes, "One day I'll stand before you and look back on the life I lived / I can't wait to enjoy the views and see how all the pieces fit." All of this will make sense one day, but that day is not today. I just have to keep waiting to see God's will for my life. And God's will isn't affected by what the world thinks of me, or how I compare to other people, because in the end, anything is possible with God.
If this would have happened last year, I don't think I would have reacted the same way. I was still growing. But as I have grown, I found these verses in Jeremiah that I love. The verses are in chapter 17, verses 7-8 which says, "But blessed is the one who trust in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heats come; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." Over this past year, I have grown to trust God more and more, which grows my roots. And as my roots have grown, I start being a light to people who are in the darkness. God waited until my roots were strong enough, so that when this came, I could stand strong in God and not waiver.
Another note on this topic too, is that it is not God's fault. It's not because He doesn't like you or that you aren't as good as the person sitting next to you, it is because sin entered the world. What I find inspirational is Job verses 1:21-22 which says, "'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.' In all of this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing." Everything was taken from Job but not once did he blame God. And because of that, Job didn't sin, and for that he got a reward. Learning from Job's example, I'm not going to charge God for wrongdoing with my grades, because God is faithful and He is all we need.
And the last thing to remember is that we are suppose to rejoice in everything. Philippians 4:4 says, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" I have a lot of things to rejoice about. For example, before Christmas, God told me that I would get two new bible this season. The first thing I thought of was, "Why do I need two bibles? I just need a smaller one to take to school that fits in my backpack easily." The next thing I know, I have a digital bible on my tablet, and a pocket bible to take to school. God said that He will give me two bibles and He did. Everything might not be going your way, but it is going the way God planned it to be.

Walk in Love

This post is actually taken from a bible study that I have at my school. It was so powerful to me that I feel like I should share it. And this may seem a little long, but I challenge you to read through all of it with an open mind.
The study this week was Ephesians 5:1-10. The first two verses go, "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant  offering and sacrifice to God." The first two verse lay out how we should live our lives. We should live our lives as Jesus lived his, therefore, we a doing what Christ did when He was on earth. As the passage goes on, we get a little deeper into what it means to be a imitator of God.
Verses 3-7 goes, "But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper to God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person --- such a man is an idolater--- has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you  with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them."
Now as we read this, it is very easy to see a long list of rules and things we shouldn't do, and it is easy to think that you won't be able to live up to all of what is wanted from you. Well guess what, you can never live up to the expectations God has set, that is why Jesus was sent to earth. He was the only one who could be perfect. He was the perfect, blameless lamb who died for us, and if we believe in what Jesus did for us, the we will live in eternity with God. This doesn't mean that we will be perfect but it does mean that you have God's unending love, and there is nothing that can separate you from it. Now this could mean that you could do whatever you want once you believe, but I loved what one person said in my bible study. She said that every time we sin, we give Jesus another burden to carry to the cross. I don't know about you, but I don't want to place more sins of that cross I they could be avoided. Another reason to grow closer to God once you believe is that the closer you grow to God, the closer you grow towards joy. God is the only source for pure joy that you can't find in this world. The more you know about God and who He is, the more joy you can find. And when you grow closer to God, these verses in Ephesians don't seem as impossible. Slowly you will be able to understand what each of these verses are saying, and you can slowly overcome what these verses say what not to do. Sure it takes time, but the end results are worth it.
Verses 8-10 says, "For you were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of the light. (For the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord." When we accept Jesus, we no longer walk in the darkness, but we walk in the light of the Lord. When you grow closer to the Lord, you find out what is pleasing to Him, and he will start to reveal what His plan is for you. So I challenge you to spend some one-on-one time with God so you may grow closer to Him, and so that you can find out what pleases Him. This requires reading your bible on you own, prayer, fellowship with other believers, and just listing for God's voice. We can ask God to show Himself to us, but if you don't stop to listen to what God has to say, then how can we know what God wants for us, and what pleases Him. This doesn't have to become a everyday habit, but I do want you to try it and for you to see what can come out of it.

This is an visual representation of how when you grow closer to God you grow closer to joy. Because this triangles has two equal sides, the closer you draw to God; the closer joy draws to God to keep the sides equal, so the closer you draw to joy. 

Possibilities

Ever had a time in your life where you look ahead of you, and it seems impossible to carry on, or what you are facing seems impossible to accomplish. Like in Star Wars, Luke went to go face his father with the intention of turning him away from the dark side. Luke was told time and time again that his father was to far into the dark side to be turned back. But Luke kept on trying and at the end, Luke's father turned to the good side to save his son. Luke did what everyone thought was impossible. Everyone told Luke that it couldn't be done, but Luke turned the impossible into the possible.
Turning the impossible into something that is possible isn't a thing that can only be done in movies and in fiction. It can happen in our day to day lives. Matthew 19:26 says, "Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'" Sure it may be impossible for us as humans to do something, but it is possible for God. When we turn to God with our impossibilities, God then can turn them into possibilities. There may be a storm that you can't get through on your own, but with God you can make it though. God can help you carry on, He can help you with the things you are facing, He can help you through anything that seems impossible to you. This isn't a thing for just the movies, but it is a thing for all who believe. God raised someone from the dead; He made a blind man see; He made a lame man walk, and He can help you through whatever you are going through. With God all things are possible.  Give anything that you think is impossible to God, and watch God make them possible.

Your Thoughts Betray You

Over winter break my family and I watched Star Wars. This was the first time I ever saw Star Wars, and I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it. As I watched the movies over and over, I heard the same phrase over and over again, "Your thoughts betray you." For example, when Luke Skywalker was fighting Darth Vader for the last time, Luke thoughts betrayed him when he thought of his sister and Darth Vader found out who his sister was.
Like Luke, our own thoughts can betray us. For example, Matthew 5:28 says, "But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart" Many of us know that we commit adultery when we sleep with someone we aren't suppose to, but even just looking at someone lustfully is adultery. You may not have physically committed adultery, but you committed it with your thoughts. Even though other people can see what we think, God can and He can see that you just committed adultery with your thoughts.
So the next question is, "How do we keep our thoughts from betraying us." Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things" Now that is a long list of things to think about so lets break it down some.
Whatever is true: Truth is the fact that Jesus came down to Earth to die for our sins so that we may live in eternity with God. But truth is also being truthful to others. You shouldn't lie to anyone, or cheat. Cheating is lying to yourself.
Whatever is honorable: Honorable is being, trustworthy, fair and filled with integrity. Treat people the way you would want to be treated.
Whatever is just: Just is seeing a person for who they are, and not their skin color. Just is treating a person based of their action, and not your opinion of them.
Whatever is pure: Purity is straying away from sexual thoughts or lust. Purity is not letting your view of someone be clouded by anything.
Whatever is lovely: Lovely is loving on anyone who comes your way, whether a friend, or a foe, or a complete stranger.
Whatever is commendable:Commendable is doing what you are told the first time around. It also is not forcing someone to do something you wouldn't do yourself.
These are just a few of the things that we are suppose to think about. Keep your thoughts in mind, because they can be easily swayed by the lies of the devil.

Butterflies

Let me start by saying that I love butterflies. They are all over my room, binders, and school supplies.There was something about the beauty of the butterfly that I love. The way they transform from a caterpillar in to a butterfly is amazing. When you start thinking, our own lives can be compared to that of a butterfly. From the caterpillar, to the cocoon, and to the butterfly, our journey in our faith can be compared to that of a butterfly.

Caterpillar- Caterpillar's aren't as beautiful as the butterflies they grow into, and before we know Christ, we haven't reached our full potential. Ephesians 2:1-3 says, " As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath."As a part of the world, we were dead in all our sins that we were born into. We were born into darkness, because of our sins. Just as caterpillars aren't who they fully are yet, when we are not in Christ, we can't see the fullness of who we could be. 

Cocoon- When butterflies make their cocoon, they start the process of becoming the beautiful butterfly. This transition is when we accept Jesus for the first time in our lives. It is a long journey ahead of us. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." In the cocoon you are literally shredding of your old life, and becoming a new creation. A caterpillar and a butterfly, even though they are the same insect, they don't look the same. It is in the cocoon when the caterpillar becomes a butterfly. Like when you accept Jesus, you don't immediately change your whole life, but it takes time to grow, develop and mature.

Butterfly- Once the butterfly breaks out of it's cocoon, it is a strong, beautiful butterfly. Like with our faith, as we grow closer to God, we become less like the world. Ephesians 2:4-5 says, "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved." WE are alive in Christ. We were saved by grace, so we can see who we really are in Christ. We start to see ourselves as Christ sees us, which is how beautiful, and perfect we are. We were washed clean by the blood of Jesus. It won't always be easy. A butterfly still has day to day challenges, and so will we. But now we have Jesus on our side to help us get through whatever we are going through. 

Faith Like a Child

This Christmas, I was cleaning out my bedroom, and I found these crafts that I started but I never finished. They are simple little crafts designed for kids. Even though it was a little young for me, I still enjoyed doing them. When I finished them I was so proud of myself. Sure they were for children, but being a child every once and a while can be a good thing. Like when it comes to our faith. Luke 8:17 "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."
So what does it mean to receive the kingdom of God like a child? It doesn't mean that you should throw a little fit every time something doesn't go your way, but you are instead to trust God with everything. If you can remember when you were young, every time your parents wanted to take you somewhere, you went. You may not have know where you were going, or what to expect when you get there, but you still went. Most of the time, you didn't have a choice, you just went. You may have thrown a fit trying to get out of it, but in the end you still went. That is the trust we need to have with God. He may want you to go somewhere, that you may not want to go. You can try to throw a fit, but you don't have a matter in this choice. And while you are throwing your fit, there may be something that you miss, that might be important. But when we receive the kingdom of God like a child, we have the trust to follow God, and when we do, great things can come out of it. But you never know if you don't go.

New Year's!!

It's 2014, and a whole New Year! On New Year we make resolutions on how we can be better for the New Year. But if we were to be real, those resolutions lasts about 2 days before we forget what they are. It's like the Phineas and Ferb episode, where everyone's resolution was to obey Doofenshmirtz, but 2 seconds later they went on with their normal lives, because no one keeps their resolution. We make resolutions, but it is often hard to keep them because your not use to it. We often have this fear in the back of our minds of not being able to achieve what we want to do so we don't even try. So on this New Year's Day, I just want to give you encouragement as you try to keep your resolution.

Romans 12:12 "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer."
Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."
Mark 9:23 "And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes."
Romans 8:25 "But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience."


If you need an idea for a New Year resolution, I suggest the 30 Day Christian music challenge. It is where you listen to nothing but Christian music for 30 days. To read my post about my experience that I had last year, go to http://thekaitlynshow.blogspot.com/2013/02/30-day-challenge.html. I had a great experience last year, and I pray that you will accept the challenge.