1 Corinthians 1:27- Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.
It's so evident! Littered all over the Bible are stories of people God decided to use. Take a look:
Joeseph, from the book of Genesis, was the youngest in his family. His dad favored him and gave him a sweet, colorful coat. His brothers got jealous and were planning on killing him, but instead sold him into slavery. After a few years of good times and bad times, he became second in command next to the pharaoh. Because of this, he saved basically the whole entire land from dying due to the 7-year famine.
God chose Gideon to be a judge of Israel. He claimed we was of the weakest tribe and the least of his family. He took 300 men willing for fight and annihilated a whole entire army of Midianites. We're talking a hoard of them...thousands.
David, the man who wrote a majority of the Psalms, was the youngest of 12 in his family. Yet God annointed him as King over Israel. He was a great military man, loved God, and was also a part of the Genealogy to Christ himself.
Timothy, of the new testament, was a young preacher. Youth was generally frowned upon by the public because it "reflected inexperience". Paul called him out and told him to keep pressing forward; keep doing what he's doing.
Honestly, how unconventional is God? If you haven't noticed, He likes to use the weak, the small, the unknown, unused, untested, irrational, irresponsible, immature, petty things to shame and humble us.
You haven't noticed? Maybe you're not looking.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Thoughts from Tiffany- Grace
If there has been one thing God has really been teaching me about the last few weeks, it has been His Grace towards me and just receiving it rather than arguing with Him !
I am one of those people who when I fail I am harder on myself than anyone else could ever be. I won’t forgive myself, and in so doing I couldn’t receive God’s forgiveness either. I thought God and I had already worked through all that with me, but it seems that it was just one step and this was just one more calling me to a deeper understanding of His GREAT love and grace.
I have been going through a lot of rough situations and have not always made the right choices. I would go to God with my frustrations and broken and tired of doing things wrong, the enemy was constantly trying to make me believe that my failures defined who I was before God, but I knew that wasn’t true. I started asking God everyday to tell me what really defined me in His sight and He faithfully started countering those thoughts and telling me that the only thing that defines who I am is His love and the price He paid for me. It was amazing, freeing, and gives me the strength I need to go through the rough moments and failures and really receive His forgiveness as well as forgive myself.
I am one of those people who when I fail I am harder on myself than anyone else could ever be. I won’t forgive myself, and in so doing I couldn’t receive God’s forgiveness either. I thought God and I had already worked through all that with me, but it seems that it was just one step and this was just one more calling me to a deeper understanding of His GREAT love and grace.
I have been going through a lot of rough situations and have not always made the right choices. I would go to God with my frustrations and broken and tired of doing things wrong, the enemy was constantly trying to make me believe that my failures defined who I was before God, but I knew that wasn’t true. I started asking God everyday to tell me what really defined me in His sight and He faithfully started countering those thoughts and telling me that the only thing that defines who I am is His love and the price He paid for me. It was amazing, freeing, and gives me the strength I need to go through the rough moments and failures and really receive His forgiveness as well as forgive myself.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Thoughts from Aimee- The Power of Prayer
I have so many thoughts rattling around my brain but I seem to have no words. How can I adequately express the depth and power of what God is doing in my heart? It goes so far beyond just a simple stirring to pray.
Just in the recent months God has really placed in me a heart to pray. It’s like suddenly a light turned on and I realized my prayers really do matter. By nature of being a Desperation Intern I spend a lot of time in prayer and I have always known that prayer is important. The truth is the idea that prayer is important has been so engrained in me and yet I’ve never had the conviction to pray.
The other night I was given the opportunity to pray with a student facing cancer. And suddenly the idea of prayer being powerful and effective really resonated within me. With everything in me I wanted to take away the burden that this young girl was carrying. I would have done anything to alleviate the fear that seemed to engulf this girl. It was then that I realized that aside from prayer I was powerless to make things better for her.
James 4:8 says:
“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
As I prayed for that student, internally I was pleading with God to make my prayers powerful and effective. Like never before I truly desired for my prayers to matter. I prayed harder that night than I ever have before. My conviction that my prayers make a difference was backed by the idea that my prayer might be her only hope. The more I pray the more I realize that my prayers can be effective. My prayers can change a situation, a life, even the course of history. There is no reason for me not to pray and yet it is so easy for me to grow lax in that area of my spiritual life. But my prayers can make a difference. And I pray that God would make me one whose prayers are powerful and effective.
Just in the recent months God has really placed in me a heart to pray. It’s like suddenly a light turned on and I realized my prayers really do matter. By nature of being a Desperation Intern I spend a lot of time in prayer and I have always known that prayer is important. The truth is the idea that prayer is important has been so engrained in me and yet I’ve never had the conviction to pray.
The other night I was given the opportunity to pray with a student facing cancer. And suddenly the idea of prayer being powerful and effective really resonated within me. With everything in me I wanted to take away the burden that this young girl was carrying. I would have done anything to alleviate the fear that seemed to engulf this girl. It was then that I realized that aside from prayer I was powerless to make things better for her.
James 4:8 says:
“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
As I prayed for that student, internally I was pleading with God to make my prayers powerful and effective. Like never before I truly desired for my prayers to matter. I prayed harder that night than I ever have before. My conviction that my prayers make a difference was backed by the idea that my prayer might be her only hope. The more I pray the more I realize that my prayers can be effective. My prayers can change a situation, a life, even the course of history. There is no reason for me not to pray and yet it is so easy for me to grow lax in that area of my spiritual life. But my prayers can make a difference. And I pray that God would make me one whose prayers are powerful and effective.
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