You may be a little confused about the title of this post but it kind of just sums up my weekend I suppose. We have this little problem in our apartment. Everything is great except for our little pets we have. I might as well start naming them. We had ants when we moved in and they came and sprayed for them and we haven't seen them in a little while. Last week they came back in our bathroom and when they swarmed in our microwave, we decided we better get sprayed again. It's quite annoying. Hopefully after this spray they won't be back.
Next topic. Actually, death came up twice this weekend. My mom's step-sister's husband had a massive heart attack this weekend and passed away. Please pray for all his friends and family. The next topic of death was what we talked about in class this morning. We talked about how we needed to die to ourselves and be dead to sin in order to be alive in Christ. Also, we talked about how our heart and mind need to connect in order to resist temptation. This topic really hit hard because I've had a lot of temptation lately and I've really had to keep my heart and mind as one. My favorite passage is in Romans 7:
14We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. 21So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24What a wretched [woman] I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
Whenever I am having an inner struggle I think about this passage because I can relate to it so much. I always know that I want to do is wrong and I know what the right thing to do is. My mind is telling me that it's what I want to do but my heart (and God) is telling me I don't need to do it because it's wrong and it's just going to hurt me more. That's where I need to make my heart and mind connect, because if I let it, the heart will always win. Please pray for me to rely on God and look to Him when I am facing temptation.
Lastly, I was blessed this morning to find out that the Children of the World International Children's Choir were going to be worshiping with us this morning.
They put on a great performance. "The Choir is made up of children who have been orphaned, abandoned and robbed of their childhoods because of poverty, civil unrest and preventable diseases" Most of these kids are from sub-Saharan Africa and have been affected by HIV/AIDS some way or another. It's different when you see these children in front of you rather than just on TV. This tour goes around to spread awareness of all the children in need. After the show all the kids went around and gave hugs to the congregation. It added an even more special touch. When I am not barely living on the money I have now I would love to support a child. I am sad that I can't afford it right now. If any of you can afford it I strongly encourage you to participate and sponsor a child.
It's been a good weekend and my heart and mind have really opened up.
3 comments:
are we having like parallel lives or something?
I've had the topic of death come up in my family for the past few days, my grandfather (my dad's dad) has gotten really, really sick to the point that he's about to die soon. I cried in front of your brother because of this.
And the whole temptation thing, Darryl preached about that yesterday and it made me evaluate some things that's been going on in my own life.
I'll keep praying for you :)
Wish I could have heard that children's choir. How sweet that must have been. Wish I had been as strong as you in my 20's and kept scripture in front of me when I was majorily tempted, it might hae kept me from making mistakes I have regretted for a lifetime. I know God has forgiven me, but can't forget those mistakes myself.
I will be praying for you too as I always do. I am also thankful that you are so much wiser and stronger in your faith than I was at your age. Also thankful that God helped me to see the many good things that have come out of so many difficult situations in my life- Some that are just "life happens" things and many are ones that I brought upon myself. I am trying to to focus on seeking God daily and enjoying each day; making better choices and having better reactions to events. I have spent too much of my life beating myself up for mistakes of my past and spend way too much time worrying and trying to figure out the future God has for me. It's all about seeking Him daily for everything.
Love,
Mom
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