8/22/2011

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Romans 12:9

Let love be without hypocrisy…..this essentially means to have Christ’s love in us which is an outward and inward expression. When I love people through the day, I want to be sure that I love from my heart and not just with my actions. Almost anyone can put on a show for a while but God’s love is seen in the mind and heart not just in actions.

The second thing in this verse is that we are to abhor what is evil and to cling to what is good. What really caught me here was the word “cling”. When I am clinging to something, it is in a situation where I need to survive and if I let go I know something bad will happen. This is true for things that are good. I want to hold on desperately to the things of God that I might not be drawn away into what could lead to death. I want to be in survival mode clinging desperately to God and not letting go no matter what.

When I go to Costa Rica, I will have to cling to the things of God. My team and I will be stretched and challenged. In order “to survive” I will need to make sure I am constantly reading God’s Word and meditating on His truths of who He is and what I should invest my time in.

8/23/2011

Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another. Romans 12:10

Here we see we are to give preference to one another with honor. When I am honoring someone, it is because I want them to be put higher than they already are. I was thinking about when I give preference to someone else, I should put what someone else needs or what would put them higher than me. How often I think of myself throughout the day?…I’m tired, I need to get this homework done, I want to go do this with that person. How often do I honestly think of how others are feeling or what they could use help with throughout the day and make the initiative to ask? Do I constantly think of how I can make my family and my sisters and brothers in the Lord feel like God’s “chosen” because of how I treat them? I want them to sense God’s love through me that they can’t help but feel blessed and honored.

I want to work on this in my own life by taking the initiative instead of waiting for others to do it first. So often I let others be the first to take the initiative and then I follow. I want to be seeking out opportunities to put what would bless others before what may be in my comfort zone.

8/24/2011

 “…not lagging in diligence, fervent in Spirit, serving the Lord;” Romans 12:11

As I was meditating on what this verse means, the word “ministry” kept coming to mind. This verse, in my opinion, defines ministry. When doing ministry, one must always steadfastly serve. How often do I dismiss doing something because either I am tired or it is not convenient for me to do at the time? True ministry is ALL the TIME no matter whether I feel it is a good day or not whether I am free or really busy. I believe the reason “fervent in Spirit” is in the middle of the verse is because God knows it is not humanly possible to do this. However, with God’s help, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

I want to apply this to not only to my time in Costa Rica and at Potter’s Field, but I also want to be diligent at my home and in my church. I want to constantly be willing to offer my time and resources to further His Kingdom and whatever He is calling me to do to fulfill that. For example, if I am asked to lead worship at my homegroup, instead of dismissing it because of all the homework I have, I want to be willing to do it if that would encourage the other believers around me.

8/25/2011

“Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;” Romans 12:12             

Here are, I believe, are three guidelines to follow especially when going through a difficult time in life: rejoicing in hope, being patient, and continually prayer. I was thinking back to the times that I have gone through harder seasons. The most difficult part for me was always the unknown of when the season of struggle would end. This shows that Christ knew that this would be hard and therefore to be patient. However, we are not only to be patient but also continually praying. Prayer is definitely the strongest weapon that we can use when faced with something because we do not have ultimate control, God does. The third thing this verse says to do is to rejoice in hope. …Rejoicing in hope, makes me think of meditating on the good things that the Lord has blessed me with.

 This is an area I want to especially grow in when I am facing difficult times in life. The more I stay at Potter’s Field, the more I am amazed at how blessed I am. The places overseas that we have been learning about deal with things constantly that I take for granted. Clean water, clean sheets to sleep in, a safe city to live in, food at breakfast are all part of my daily routine. Before, I would not think twice about these standards of living. When I go to a public area in the US and there is a water fountain….I don’t think about getting really sick tomorrow because I just took a drink. I am so blessed. So when I am going through things that may be difficult even on the mission field… I want to keep in mind all the things He has blessed me with. But most of all He has blessed me with Himself…what would I do without the constant encouragement and voice of my Lord. I am so grateful that He is always ready to be closer to me if I am just willing.

I want to practice this in my life by starting to thank the Lord daily for what He has done in my life and continues to do instead of taking the numerous blessings that I have for granted. This, in turn, will get me into a habit of thankfulness that will help me when I faced with tribulations during life.