I am unsure what to write, but I have been given a sliver of internet time, so I am taking advantage of it.
Work has been going well. I identified 40 people groups today, which is higher than I have gotten before, so I am thankful for that. I am continuing to meet people throughout the day. Getting to know the other interns better. I am hopeful that we will be able to strike up some good relationships.
I am into Deuteronomy 4, which is great. Reading through scripture these past weeks has been a huge blessing. Something I wanted to write earlier this week:
I don't have the exact scripture in front of me, but I will paraphrase.
When Israel is wandering in the desert they begin to grumble. God begins to consume them. This is crazy. Who would have thought that grumbling is such a large offense. However, they were grumbling against the Lord, lacking trust in Him, turning from him. Thousands of Israelites are killed in the process because God's anger burned against them and the fringes of the camp were destroyed.
This happens a second time, the Israelites grumble, and God sends a plague on them, and thousands are killed.
However,
Leviticus 3:22
"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail."
Instead God forgives us, and separates our sin from us, as far as the east is from the west.
Crazy
I grumbled today. I know I lost hope in God and turned from Him and forgot him today. But God forgives me, he clothes me in Christ for the selfishness and pride I exhibit today, tomorrow, and the next day. Furthermore he forgives all my past sins. Not just those that I know I committed, but even more those that I don't even realize I commit.
Reminds me of something David Crowder said. "We were bought with a kiss but the cheek still turned even when it wasn't hit and I don't know what to do with a love like that."
It leads one to realize that God is love. He wanted to draw his people to Him from the start.
And furthermore, this realization gave a more serious tone to another scripture I have been focused on. Philippians 2:14 "Do all things without grumbling or disputing". This is a serious command. It is what God wants us to do, for our betterment, and because he wants us to be like Him, and love Him, and trust Him.
Wish I had more time to hash all this out. Thanks for reading my crazy stream of conscious regardless of the lack of organization.
Praying for you
-Tyler
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Green Eggs and Ants
I am enjoying my time at night much lately. It is great to get a break from work. All the same, work is great. I am continuing to enjoy mapping people groups. Though I can get frustrated, I have realized that can occur whether I am at work or home or in a plane or on a train or in a box or with a fox or with a mouse in house or here or there or anywhere.
The past week has been a battle against ants. My roommate and I have found them 1st in the sink marching across the stove to get there (clean the dishes, spray with ant deterrent). Then we found them in a cubbard (simply move the food in the cubbard, spray with ant deterrent). Today we got home and thought all clear. Opening the microwave showed how misguided our thoughts were (turn on microwave for 5 minutes, which by the way doesn't kill ants). So, needless to say, all food has been removed from the area they have been around, and we are hoping for the best.
Something I wanted to share:
Romans 11:33-36 -> "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to Him again? For from Him and through Him and to him are all things. To Him be the glory forever, Amen."
God is phenomenally bigger and better than any of us can imagine. Our pride is generated from our comparison to one another. In light of Gods glory, we are seriously but dust. Hard to wrap ones mind around that, I'm still having trouble
Leviticus 11:45 -> "For I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy."
God is calling the nation of Israel (which we are grafted into as believers [Rom 11:17]) His own, and He wants them to be holy so that He can reconcile them to Himself in LOVE.
Isaiah 53: 10-11 -> "But the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand. As a resilt of the anguish of His soul, He will se it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant will Justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities."
So God realizes that no amount of sacrifice that we can provide is good enough to make us holy. So He substitutes himself for his people. He crushed his son for the sake of those he loved, though they had turned away from him, and would continue to do so.
Ephesians 1:5-7 -> "He predestine us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind inention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wich He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which he lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which he purposed in Him."
This speaks for itself, and simply amplifies what we learn from Isaiah 53. We, who are filthy in our sin, were given grace by the blood of He who knew no sin. I know this is preaching to the Choir for some, but I have heard men wiser than I say we need to preach the gospel to ourselves every day. I feel like the eyes of my heart are being enlightened, so that I will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe, and I wanted to share.
Other than that Richmond is a great place. It's no Louisville though. Thinking of you all.
-Tyler
The past week has been a battle against ants. My roommate and I have found them 1st in the sink marching across the stove to get there (clean the dishes, spray with ant deterrent). Then we found them in a cubbard (simply move the food in the cubbard, spray with ant deterrent). Today we got home and thought all clear. Opening the microwave showed how misguided our thoughts were (turn on microwave for 5 minutes, which by the way doesn't kill ants). So, needless to say, all food has been removed from the area they have been around, and we are hoping for the best.
Something I wanted to share:
Romans 11:33-36 -> "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to Him again? For from Him and through Him and to him are all things. To Him be the glory forever, Amen."
God is phenomenally bigger and better than any of us can imagine. Our pride is generated from our comparison to one another. In light of Gods glory, we are seriously but dust. Hard to wrap ones mind around that, I'm still having trouble
Leviticus 11:45 -> "For I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy."
God is calling the nation of Israel (which we are grafted into as believers [Rom 11:17]) His own, and He wants them to be holy so that He can reconcile them to Himself in LOVE.
Isaiah 53: 10-11 -> "But the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand. As a resilt of the anguish of His soul, He will se it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant will Justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities."
So God realizes that no amount of sacrifice that we can provide is good enough to make us holy. So He substitutes himself for his people. He crushed his son for the sake of those he loved, though they had turned away from him, and would continue to do so.
Ephesians 1:5-7 -> "He predestine us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind inention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wich He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which he lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which he purposed in Him."
This speaks for itself, and simply amplifies what we learn from Isaiah 53. We, who are filthy in our sin, were given grace by the blood of He who knew no sin. I know this is preaching to the Choir for some, but I have heard men wiser than I say we need to preach the gospel to ourselves every day. I feel like the eyes of my heart are being enlightened, so that I will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe, and I wanted to share.
Other than that Richmond is a great place. It's no Louisville though. Thinking of you all.
-Tyler
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
