Shine Brightly for Christ

Archive for October 2009

Let Go & Let God?

Posted by: on: October 18, 2009

Really..what does that mean? To Let Go & Let God??

Letting go hasn’t always been an easy concept for me to easily grasp, especially being the controlling person that I am. It’s a hard thing to hand over the reigns and allow all your burdens and worries to be lifted off of you completely in faith. Sometimes I may understand the idea with my head but not wholly with my heart. Whatever the situation may be, disappointments, breakups, let downs, struggles…we’re called to trust in the Lord right?? But why does it seem that some situations just hurt so much during that process?

I think that’s where I’ve got it all wrong from the get go. Giving it all up to God doesn’t always mean that He’s going to stop you from falling but he will be there when you hit the ground just like He’s been there from the very beginning. Sometimes we need to feel the fall before he can break our fall or else we’ll never know how it feels to really need Him. When we feel the effects of life’s let downs , it doesn’t mean that God let us go, He’s just teaching us how to get back up in deep need of Him. It’s going to be tough, it’s going to be a pain that you may think that you’ll never get through. But we aren’t alone if we’ve got the greatest King as our Lord & Savior in our hearts. Because what may seem overwhelming at the time, God is already overcoming in your life.  He allows us to go through the hurts, pains & dissapointment not to punish us but to test our faith. To test if we’re really living for Him or pursing other things in our lives by voicing empty words that we can’t back up with our actions.

When we say we wanna live completely for Him, we should really examine ourselves before making a commitment like that. Because the minute that one thing your pursuing gets taken away, you’re bound to get a rude awakening of what’s really important in your life. He is a Jealous God and in order for us to experience ALL of Him we have to offer Him ALL of us. The love He offers us is unconditional and isn’t determined by our status, our looks, what kind of car we drive, or whether we memorize the Bible front and back. There’s no way we can ever buy His love or repay Him but accept it as a gift that we are so undeserving of.

The cracks and bruises in our heart that seem so unfixable and far from restoration can be used for His glory. Our brokeness and sadness can turn into worshipping a God who fills the emptiness in our lives. The relationships and arguments that could be far from mending could ultimately be renewed through Him. The Lord understands us & created us, He knows we’re humans, He’s not aloof of our weaknesses, He didn’t create us to be perfect beings otherwise we wouldn’t have a need for such a flawless Savior.

Come to Him in all your rawness, hurts, angers and feelings . The more we hold onto them and harbor them in our hearts, it can lead to things that aren’t pleasing to Him and eventually distance you from His grace in your life. You’re going to want to scream, it’s going to sting, tears are going to flow endlessly but  I find so much peace in knowing that His love for me is endless. His love doesn’t have a beginning or an end. He knew me before I was in my mother’s womb. I’m not this little thing that He could care less for, He knows me by name.  My Father in heaven is actively working in my life and there is a purpose and reason to all the unknowns and ‘dot dot dots’

So this is how I see it ..

How am I going to feel and completely experience His power in my life if I’m still grabbing hold onto the ledge?

We have to fall. He’s molding us, and training us daily to become men & women after His heart. So…

Let it Go

&

Let Him

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

2 Corinthians 4:16-1

Shinning as stars

Posted by: on: October 12, 2009

Why Shine Brightly for Christ?

Last August 12, we decided to go to the beach for one of our quiet and devotion time. While we where there, Nicole randomly flipped to Philippians and there goes the title of our blog, “Shine brightly for Christ”, which is from Philippians 2:12-16. I’m going to talk about verse 12-13 and Nicole will tackle the rest.

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed-not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence-continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. -Philippians 12:12-13

Even though God is not physically present, He is spiritually present in our lives. Emmanuel, God is with us.

And as for our faith, we don’t have to see Him to know that He is real. He has laid out different traces, gifts, blessings and wonders in our lives not to realize that there was a Great Maker behind all of these amazing creations. We live by faith, not by sight- 1 Corinthians 5:7

God has always been faithful in our lives so we are going to strive  to faithfully follow and pursue Him in every areas of it.

Cj Mahaney clearly explained on his message last Resolved Conference 2009 what it meant “to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” So I thought there is no better way to point this out but to share his message.

He said that there is two parts on these: our part and God’s part.

Our part involves a specific action which is working out our salvation by effort and being active in godliness growth and a specific attitude which is with fear and trembling. The fear and trembling motivates us. But make it known that it is not the fear of a lost sinner but the fear of a true child of God. We don’t want to offend and grieve Him because we are accountable to Him and we love Him.

God’s part comes into picture in order for us to make these efforts possible. We have God’s assistance that He divinely put in our life to make us active in working out our salvation, in growing on our spiritual walk.

John Owen said, “God works within us, with us, doesn’t work against us and without us.”

But be very careful that we don’t ask God to just simply do it for us and in place of us. Examine our prayers, are we asking God to do what He commanded us? If we are, we are postponing obedience and it doesn’t work out that way. We are to work for it and humbly obey.

God is constantly at work in our lives. He is the active indweller of our heart, of our life. Although sin is active, God is on active work too. He is superior and sovereign in every way to any active indwelling sin in our lives. Because He loved us enough not to leave us in our sin, rather He reveals it to us through the work of the cross. It is by this act that He could precede His work of regeneration to you, who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. -Philippians 12:12-13

God works and has worked so man can work and must work. –Ridderbos

So our part is only made possible because of God’s part. Because the spirit is present “to will and to do.” Apart from it, we cannot play our part. Only God’s power makes Godly effort possible.

So we chose “Shine Brightly for Christ” because it sums up what we are called to do and what on earth are we here for. It also points out the tasks we have as Christians in terms of working out our salvation with fear and trembling.

Jeremiah 1:5, “before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

Matthew 5:13, “You are the salt of the earth.”

Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world.”

Matthew 28:19-20, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

Deuteronomy 6:5, “You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, with your whole soul, and with all your mind”

1 Corinthians 10:31, So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

For God’s glory,it is our desire to  shine like stars for Him, reflecting His vast greatness and beautiful love in every aspect of our lives.

Purity (snippet)

Posted by: on: October 7, 2009

A lot of times “purity” in the secular world just means sexual purity and the choices we decide to make physically in relationships. But purity is so much deeper than that. It starts with our hearts and minds. What we decide to do with our bodies reflects the desires of our inner soul. Today, not only does being pure allow for negative feedback but it opens a constant battle between your own fleshly desires and what the Lord desires for you as His child.

Psalms 51:10 – Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

**Want more?? Come to ABCD Youth this Friday 😉

Please keep me in prayer too!**

I’m yours

Posted by: on: October 3, 2009

One worship song goes

“There is no one else for me. None but Jesus. Crucified to set me free”

Therefore, I urge you, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. –Romans 12:1

I know that I will never understand the depths of His love for me. I am unworthy and undeserving but He believed that I was worth it. He loved me, He set me apart and call me as His own. The thought of it alone makes my heart skip a beat.

The least I can do to acknowledge His love for me is to live my life for Him. My life which is not mine to begin with. I am created for His glory. That is the reason why I was put here on earth, so are you. [Every single one of us. We are called for a purpose and until you recognized that, your life would not mean and account for anything.] I have one life to live. I want it to be the one that counts. I don’t want to come to my old age and say that I wasted my life.

If my life was to have a single, all-satisfying, unifying passion, it would have to be God’s passion. And God’s passion was the display of his own glory and the delight of my heart. –John Piper

Love is doing what is best for someone. And as John Piper said, “The really wonderful moments of joy in this world are not the moments of self satisfaction, but self forgetfulness.”

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me. –Galatians 2:20


Father God, take hold of my life.

I am YOURS and YOURS ALONE.

Use me for Your glory and furthering Your kingdom.

For Your joy is my happiness.

And Break my heart for what break Yours.

I want to love You more than life and even if my life is through.

It’s the least that I can do

Posted by: on: October 2, 2009

Exactly what my heart desires..

Lord I really don’t know how to write a song

I’m not always eloquent, sometimes I get it wrong

But the thing You’ve doing in me I can’t describe

What a fool I’d be if I chose to hide
 this transformation, new motivation

Thought that we were close, I’ve known You all this time

But I was just living life my way, just getting by

Thought that if I’d do a good deed or two

That’d be enough to please You

I kept the parts I wanted to, and missed out on the real You

Now with every step and every breath

I give it all, hold nothing back

With all I am, this is my choice, to live to worship You

So with all my heart, my soul, my mind

I’ll love You, leave it all behind

To live my life in awe of You is the least that I can do

I’ve held on so long to all my hopes and dreams

While You were asking me to place them all at Your feet

Let my praise be more than a song I’ll sing for You

Let me change all my ways in response to You

I’ve lived for myself, Lord I need Your help

Not I who lives, but You

For You are worthy of all honor

(And You) deserve the sacrifice I’ll give

You’ve touched my heart and now I see
 what it is You want from me

So I’ll lose the things that hold me
 back so You can set me free


Blog at WordPress.com.