John 15:19

“If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”-John 15:19

Hey guys! I discovered a few of my journals from Afghanistan and I have no idea if these were my thoughts or copied off the internet. Nonetheless, it touched my spirit and I felt compelled to share. It is titled, “Recognize the Change.”

When you’re getting more excited about falling in love and not with God, you’re living of this world. When you are more concerned with going out with friends rather than going to a small group of
fellowship; you’re living of this world. When you decide you base your morals and decisions on other people, things, Facebook likes, or things that look appealing to your eye rather than letting the Bible be the basis for everything you stand on in this world…you’re living of this world. The world will leave you feeling empty and incomplete. After many of countless nights of disappointment and frustration I realized something needed to change.
The world isn’t your friend. There is nothing in the world that can save us. Everytime you try to fit in the world it draws you further and further from God.

My attempt to read the Bible: Life Change Knowledge Gain

In February, I set a goal to read the Bible again in three months. Even the parts about animal death, sacrificing, and proper cleansing rituals in the event that there was extra credit. So I felt pretty frustrated when I got to the beginning of Numbers (yea I know that is still pretty early in the game) but my heart wasn’t in it. My motivation for reading Scripture was wrong, so the whole process felt like a burden. And of course it did. It’s the living, breathing Word of God. And I was treating it like advanced calculus (which I failed 3 times).

I realized I don’t need to read a specific number of verses before I can safely say I have done my duty as a God-follower. So if you fall into this category, let me give you some breathing room. God does not have a word count goal or a number of days for you to read the bible. He want your heart to be fully engaged and your mind fixed on Him when you read. And if you haven’t heard Him or been impacted by the word, go back. Slow down. Listen.

I read slowly, and I don’t beat myself up for reading only three verses if that is what I feel the Lord leads me to read. It’s enough. Then I go back and reread them again. And again. And again. And listen. I hear Him. Because it’s not about me wanting to learn. It’s about me wanting to be taught. I know what it feels like to be the only one flipping to the table of contents for the page number for a certain Book of the Bible. You’re not the only one who doesn’t understand the big words, the long city names, and the begotten who then begot.

To some, they are words. Just words. But to me, they are everything. You might not realize it at first, but He will give you treasures in darkness (I do know some scriptures) when you spend your days looking. He will speak, mark my words. It might even show up (dare I say it) in Numbers.

Are you having trouble reading your Bible? Have you tried reading the Bible in so 90 days? I would love to read how that worked out for you below.

When your priorities change….

There comes a point in life when fun no longer means clubbing, drinking, being out till 4am, or thinking about yourself! Fun for me now means spending time with family, learning something new, exploring new cities, reading, going to church, sleeping by 10pm and saying “I love you.” I have been in El Paso, Texas for the past two weeks and while some of my battles were overjoyed to explore the nightlife…I was content in reading a book poolside. In fact, I searched for a church online, took a painting class, and made sure to exercise everyday. It hasn’t always been this way, but I definitely recognize the change in myself. It is so liberating to know what I really want, what truly makes me happy, what I will not tolerate. How do you spend your time? What are your priorities? What you decide to do can say a lot about your priorities in life.