Merry Christmas!

I love reading Luke 2 :)


I'm reflecting on this past year and seeing how much I grew. When I was little I thought Christmas was for presents and cookies. As time passed, I thought it was about 2 weeks of sleeping in, good food, and more free time during winter break. Now I'm excited to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! My true joy comes from above which reminds me of this verse: James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

I love meditating on this verse. I keep reading it over and over again. I'm joyful and thankful that I get to celebrate the BEST gift- Jesus! My salvation! It really humbles me to think of it. I take this wonderful gift for granted.I need to always remind myself it's Christmas every day. Every day I should celebrate the birth, life, death, and Resurrection of our Savior. Not only did Jesus come down and fulfill the exact prophecies (in Isaiah) but the son of God chose to come down here for us lowly human beings. He humbled Himself down to our status. I was always taught this in Sunday school but the meaning never really hit me in the head until I became a Christian. Christ humbled himself as a baby, as His own creation. A baby can't do anything. It can't talk, walk, and it constant attention and care. But no one looks at a baby and is like, "Wow he is so intelligent and bright. Babies are dependent on others. Jesus allowed Himself be taken care of by His own creation. It's mind blowing that someone would go that for me, for you. I'm in awe of how big God is and how little I am. I cannot do anything apart from Him. The Lord gave us the most ultimate gift ever that we can treasure forever. God's love & the birth of Jesus is a great reason to celebrate!

Merry Christmas!

Spirtual Fervor

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.- Romans 12:11

Making the goodness of God known

How am I making the goodness of God known? Especially in the 21st century we are so blessed to have this rapid access to information and get the good news of the gospel and spread the goodness of God! With all this facebook, twitter, and internet why not use it for His glory?

If you want to listen to Pastor Bobby's sermon you can click on the link/it's also on itunes

http://www.compasschurch.org/hs/sermons/in-out-praise/video

Attributes of God

• Sovereign (1 Timothy 6:15, Mark 4:39-41)
  
• Omniscient (Romans 11:33, John 16:30)
  
• Omnipotent (Ephesians 1:19-21, Jeremiah 32:17)
  
• Omnipresent ( John 1 :48-49, Proverbs 15:3)
  
• Eternal ( John 8:57-58, Pslam 90:2)
  
• Immutable ( Hebrews 13:8, Romans 11:29)
  
• Holy (Revelation 4:8, John 6:68-69)
  
• Just (Revelation 19:11-13, Psalm 97:2)
• Love (Romans 5:8, 1 John 4:8)
• Faithful (2 Timothy 2:13, Revelation 1:5)
• Jealous (James 4:4-5, Matthew 23:37)
• Patient (Romans 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9, Exodus 34:6, 1 Timothy 1:16)
• Merciful (Ephesians 2:4, Pslam 114:4)
• Kind (Romans 2:4)
  
• Good(Pslam 107:1, Pslam 31:19, Hosea 3:5)
  

During small groups yesterday, Christa gave us post it notes to post all around our room. Whenever I have a thought of praise or thanks to God, I'll write it down and post it. So when I look around, it will be filled with praises & thanks to the Lord!I can't wait for my whole room to be covered in that. I need to be celebrating my salvation and God's goodness. I know that I can take it for granted and I want to stay excited for Him every day!

Wow there is so much more to praise God for! It just never ends.

A maturing Christian

A maturing Christian’s life should always be in the pursuit of holiness, they should reflect the teachings and life of Jesus (humility, love, forgiveness etc.). They should strive to live a holy and blameless life (1 Peter 1:16 “be holy for I am holy). Not only will they be an example to other people, they should help to serve and lead the church. They will be a servant leader. Jesus Himself is the example of that servant leader as talked about in Philippians 2. The mature Christian should have a solid prayer life along with a daily Bible devotion as Psalm 119 reminds us of, this is their food and the only way that they can grow in the knowledge of the Truth. They keep those younger in the faith accountable and encourage their walk with God by discipleship and mentoring. They should have the ability to teach the gospel and evangelize to other people, the ability to share the Truth of what God has done in their life. A mature Christian should guide and support other Christians as well as be an example and a leader for others to follow as they follow Christ. Through their leadership they will show others how to follow Him. They should be Christ like in their character fearing God and wanting to obey His commands and do His will. They should be loving and be able to distinctly stand out, this goes back to being holy which literally means “set apart" (real Christians stand out of the crowd). In summary a mature Christian should be bearing fruit in their life; this fruit includes everything from their pursuit of holiness, denial of themselves, a hatred for sin, and so much more including Galatians 5 description of fruits of the Spirit, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” We will never be fully mature in Him, but a real Christian will grow up in Him, moving from milk to solid food as they pursue holiness during their life.

Letters to God

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! - 2 Corinthians 5:17

Dear God,

I'm falling in love with You more every day.
I can't believe I missed out on this for 16 years.
I was full of confusion and anger. And of regret.
You always comfort me during my need and You're always there for me
And every time I read Your Word, it speaks to me in so many ways.
And every time I pray, I cry.
Not because I'm sad but because the world is so beautiful.
Because You fill up my emptiness with joy.
Thanks for making me a better person.

Love.
Jasmine



8/10/08 --> this is a bit personal. It was a letter I wrote after I got saved :)

Dear Heavenly Father,

Finally after all these years I have come home to you.
I honestly can say I felt a calling. I felt you moving in me. What I experienced was pretty much indescribable.

Help me to die to myself. To trust in you more. To trust in other people more.
Help me to grow in you spiritually. Help me to be a good example to shine my light to others. To stand out. To have more of you and less of me.

God please help me to make you be my first love. To put you before anything and everything. You can mold me, break me, shape me, and make me. I'm all yours. I now realize that everything I went through... and still everything I go through is/was for a reason, a purpose. There's a reason why I'm still alive and breathing today. There's a reason why I went to Lake Mead. There's a reason for everything.

I felt overcome with guilt. I went for all the wrong reasons. I went to meet new people and have fun.I went to try new things. I went to hang out with my friends. I went because I didn't want to stay home. I didn't go because I wanted to get to know you more spiritually or at all. I didn't go because I wanted to grow in you. I didn't go because I wanted to change myself.

I've been faking my whole life. Faking my personality. Faking my spirituality. Faking everything. I asked myself every night as I cried myself to sleep I'm so good at faking everything that I don't even know who I am anymore.

I had two sides and I was a fake Christian. I failed to trust you. To let you guide me. I shunned you out and didn't listen. I faked my whole religion. I faked my whole life actually. And I didn't even know who I was. I felt so lost and misunderstood. I had friends but I stood alone. I tried to act like everything was all right. Sometimes the reason why I act so happy is to mask up what I'm really feeling. To cover up my emotions. To hide the real me. And also I used it as an outlet because I couldn't really be happy at home. The real me was fading away slowly. I was fading away. To a point in time where i had no will to live or even breathe. But i still kept a smile on my face. and i continued to act again thinking i could get away with this. and i continued to live my life without a purpose, or actually even a life at all.

I will always remember this date. Yesterday 8/8/08. This is the best thing that's ever happened to me. There were many times when I could have been baptized or accepted you but I never did. And what I felt was so beautiful. I wonder how can you love someone like me. I'm a sinner. I have flaws. I'm definitely not perfect. I'm far from everything you would expect me to be. I can't believe that I was so lucky to experience what I felt and I pray that others will too. I can't believe I wasn't actually going to experience this.

When I got baptized I was so emotional. Not that's not a good word to describe but I felt like everything that I've tried to hide just came out after years of keeping it in. I felt so relieved and refreshed.I felt like you were actually speaking and calling me out. Then I realized that you've been doing that my whole life. I just never wanted to listen. No a stronger word- I refused. I ignored you. I shunned you out. I thought I could get by. I grew up in a Christian family, went to church every Sunday, and was a "good" person. but there are no signs that i was born again, that i was different, that i was a Christian. Then that "good" person faded away. I was angry. frustrated. emotional. depressed. drained. I turned to other things to take away my pain. Sadly, I didn't turn to you. that's my biggest regret. I wish I could get to know you for an extra 16 years. But the good, no great thing is that I can start off knowing you now.

Please take away my pride, my anger, my sadness.
Please take away my depression, bitterness, hatred.
Please take away everything that doesn't come from you.
Please guide and counsel me through the tough times.
Please help me to know you more.
Please help me to fall in love with you.

I'm ready to quit the act. I'm ready to start over.

I think I went through all this because now I see the world in new eyes. I open my eyes and look around. Everywhere I go I see people hurting, crying out to you unintentionally. I see the old me before. I see masks. I see pain. I now know that everyone has a story. Everyone has problems. You never know what's concealed under that perfect facade. I pray for all these people and I ache to reach out to them so please give me to strength to. I guess I was so focused on my own suffering, I failed to see others.

Please bring people in my life who need you. Please help me to hunger and thirst for you more.

Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope

On the way back I reflected a lot of things in my life. I'm going to change and reform from now on. I will be a different person. I asked myself in confusion why didn't this happen to me earlier last year at lake mead, or even a few years ago. My whole life. But God's timing is perfect.

So now I don't want the "honeymoon" to be over. I don't want to be on a spiritual high and then forget that nothing happened. Because something did. Because I want a lasting relationship with you my whole life. I will make it work. I know the more time I spend with you, the more I fall in love with you.

I know there are hard times, trials, troubles, and persecution coming ahead but I'm ready to do anything for you God. Because I don't belong to myself I belong to you. So please just use me for whatever you want. Let your will be done. thank you for giving me back my life so i can give it back to you. I'm ready to die to myself.


Love.
Jasmine

Lukewarm Christians?

I just read Crazy Love by Francis Chan. I highly recommend it.

So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth. Revelation 3:16

The original word for this was the Greek word -->“vomit." That’s not a pleasant sight of God wanting to throw someone up. Why would God throw up Christians? So what does this say about lukewarm Christians? Are they really Christians?

There's hot chocolate or cold chocolate milk. Both of those are really good but if I sip a taste of just warm milk, that’s disgusting! We have to care about what makes Jesus sick to His stomach. Where is the passion, urgency, enthusiasm for Him?

Some people are uncomfortable with this verse. Why are Jesus’ words so strong? Why does he say it so harshly? The answer is in in verse 19 where it says “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.”

The interesting thing about the history behind this verse is the water supply for the city of Laodicea came from hot springs some distance away. It lacked a local, adequate, convenient water supply. So the water was transported from hot springs 6 miles to the south through a system of stone pipes. Another city, Colossi had snow capped mountains that melted into colds streams of water. It provided refreshment. But Laodicea’s water was neither hot nor cold but lukewarm. So it was pretty useless. The water arrived at the city lukewarm.

In Francis's Chan book Crazy Love. A good point he made was that:

“Lukewarm people don’t genuinely hate sin and aren’t truly sorry for it."

"Lukewarm people are moved by stories of people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act. They assume such action is for “extreme” Christians, not average ones. Lukewarm people say that their morality or “goodness” by comparing themselves to the secular world. They feel satisfied that while they aren’t as hard-core for Jesus as so-and-so, they are nowhere as horrible as the guy down the street. Lukewarm people love God, but they do not love Him all their heart, soul, and strength. Lukewarm people think about life on earth much more often than eternity in heaven. Lukewarm people probably drink and swear less than average, but besides that, they really aren’t very different from your typical unbeliever. They equate their partially sanitized lives with holiness, but they couldn’t be more wrong. Matthew 23:25-28, Luke 14:34-35".

• Do you choose what's popular over what's right?
• Do you seek after wordly things or the kingdom of God?
• Are you indifferent about sin?

What is the cure for lukewarmness? The answer is Jesus! Make Him the king of your life and your heart’s desire (Revelation 3:20) So, Jesus wants us to serve him whole heartedly. We have to make up our minds. Will we serve Jesus wholeheartedly, or will we not serve him at all? If you are cold, then Jesus and others will at least know where you stand. If you are hot, then Jesus and others around you should know that you are whole heartedly a servant to Christ.

One of the reasons why the luke-warm are rejected is because they say one thing, but their actions say another. I can’t wholeheartedly serve God if I'm constantly doing evil. If I say that I am a Christian and people see me constantly sinning, then what am I saying? By being hypocritical, I am deceiving the not only myself but non believers and new believers. I am showing them that a Christian can constantly do evil and still serve God. I am showing them that they can have the best of both worlds. Even worse, I could be turning people away from Christianity all together. People could think wow, that girl says she is a Christian but she is always gossiping about others, so I don’t want to be a Christian now.You can't say you love Jesus and deny Him with your lifestyle.

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other... "Matthew 6:24

When we accept Christ we have to be willing and obedient (Isaiah 1:19) we must either give it all or nothing. There is no lukewarm Christian. There is no middle ground. Or any gray area. Because we have to realize halfway in isn't in at all. Our lives have been changed by His awesome love & God calls for a radical obedience to His will and a surrendering of our lives into the glorious riches of His grace!