June 5th, 2010

Sunday June 5, 2011

“I have planted longing for perfection in every human heart.”
“Let me fulfill your yearning for perfection.”

Above are two quotes from my daily reading in Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. I am absolutely amazed. How awesome is our God?

For the last month, I have had a desire to be PROTECTED. I was able to experience a little bit of protection from a really strong and amazing man of God, and I wanted him to always be around to protect me. All women want protection; it must be apart of who we are. So, anyways… this morning when I woke up and spent some quality time with my King & Savior He impressed upon my heart to release myself from trying to be fulfilled in that area. Written in a sweet cursive hand above Proverbs 5 in my Bible were the words, “let go”. Even though it was clearly my hand-writing, I know that God had me write that intentionally for this moment. All I wanted to do was cry and thank Him for always directing me.

You’re probably wondering “what was the significance of those two quotes from Jesus Calling?”. Well, listen to how awesome God is. Instead of reading the word “perfection” I kept seeing “protection”. As Sarah Young wrote that we seek this perfection in other people, I was reading protection. Wow! It wasn’t until I went to write this blog that I noticed that the actual wording was perfection.

How cool? He allowed me to see the word protection so that I could learn the lesson that I needed to hear. He set me free! It was nothing the author or I did. It was all God. He spoke! You know, I really love His voice. He is always speaking & I never want to take His voice for granted.

Lately He has been showing me that if you spend a lot of time with people who take God’s voice for granted, or do not desire to hear Him continually, then you will be at risk of failing to hear Him. Because God is always speaking, He is making Himself known, and that is just His character. It is our choice whether or not to hear and obey His sweet, perfect, loving voice.

All I want is to hear Him. If that means letting go of someone else’s voice so that I can hear His, so be it!!! HIS VOICE, HIS WORD, IS THE ONLY THING THAT WILL LAST FOREVER. He is my Love and He has the best in mind for me.

If it is protection or perfection that you are looking for, look to God! He is your protection! He is your perfection! No one else will ever be able to fulfill that role in your life. Trust Him. He is worthy to be trusted!

Oh Praise Him!! ☺




Then... what else is on my heart...


Proverbs 31:10-12

“A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.

Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.

She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.”

10. A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.

-To be worth far more than rubies is the greatest compliment. Imagine if your husband saw you as a woman who was worth far more than rubies? What would it take to be considered at such a high esteem? In this verse we are told that a wife of noble character is worth far more than rubies.
-Distinguished by rank or title; pertaining to a persons so distinguished; admirable in dignity of conception, manner of expression, execution, or composition; of an admirably high quality. [These are all definitions of noble. In the Bible, it is clear that royalty and nobility went together. The one’s that were noble, were well known and admired by all. But, what set them apart? Was it really their social class? Was it their position of authority? Or was it their integrity? Their love for God set them apart and gave them the honorable title of NOBLE! When one decides to be consecrated, set apart, for the use and glory of God they are worthy of this title.]
-All throughout Proverbs 31, King Lemuel talks about the different characteristics of a wife of “noble” character. It is crucial as a wife, as a woman, to consider what he highlights as important qualities. His insight is beautiful and allows us, as woman, to see what it takes to be a woman who is highly desirable.
-It is only possible to be a wife of noble character if you are walking with the LORD and seeking His glory in all that you do.


11. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.

-For a woman who is married, it is a joy to know that her husband has full confidence in her. This can be meaningful for a lot of things. For instance, don’t all women want their husbands to look at them and know that whatever they set their hearts to they can do? For them to look at you and believe that you are trustworthy? For them to look at you and know that he doesn’t have to watch your every move because he knows that you have heart for him and for him only?
-This is not only important for the wife; this is necessary for the husband. With confidence in his wife, a husband is a joy to be around. He knows that he can count on his wife. He knows that she took the vows seriously and that she is now one with him in all things. It is important that your husband has full confidence in you. If he does not, there are many problems to follow. Jealousy, cheating, fighting, lying, pride all creep in when one is not confident in his wife. As wives, we are to be strong and faithful to the one that God has given us. Our husbands will have confidence in us if we are walking with the LORD and seeking to please Him in all that we do.
-Do not flirt with other men.
-Never forsake complimenting him.
-Laugh at his jokes, he is funny after all.
-Your husband will only have complete confidence in you if you are walking with the LORD and seeking His glory in all that you do.


12. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.

-What does it mean to bring your husband good all the days of your life? It means living a life of self-sacrifice. In order to avoid bringing your husband harm you have to die to your self.
-Submission is talked about all over the word. Women are called to be submissive in all things. Our husband is the head of the house; we are to respect his position of authority.
-This means, no talking about him with your girlfriends. It does matter how he acts, there is no need to humiliate him and fail to respect him by bringing up his faults in front of your friends. He is your husband. You would not want him to treat you this way.
-The golden rule applies in marriage… except now it’s extra golden. “Treat others the way you want to be treated”… “TREAT YOUR HUSBAND THE WAY YOU WANT TO BE TREATED AND EVEN GO BEYOND THAT!” Bless him in ways that he would not expect, because he is over you. He is the one that God has given you; He is a blessing.
-Always remember that your husband is a gift from God. Allow God to use you to bring good to him, always.
-For the women who are not married, this means learning to pray for your husband now. Ask God to reveal to you ways that you can be submissive to your husband before you say, “I do”. Remember, even though you are not married, you have a husband. He is out there. Now is the time to start bringing him good. Allow God to purify your thoughts towards other men. Remember, the thought is exposed before God (Hebrews 4: 13 says, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from Gods sight; everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account). So, take a look into your life. Are you always looking for at men with “what if” eyes? Do you flirt with the men that are in your life now? Think of how much harm this would bring your husband. He would not have any confidence in his relationship with you if you were constantly admiring other men. Now is the time to start bringing your husband good. When it is time to know him, he will come chasing after you. His pursuit will be very similar to Jesus pursuing you. Do not be afraid that your time will not come, do not give in to chasing him. It is Biblical for the man to seek the woman and pursue her. Honor your husband, before you ever meet him, by letting go of the control and waiting patiently for him to come and find you. Practice nobility now. May your relationships with men be glorifying to the Father. Treat older men as fathers and younger men as brothers.
-It is only possible to bring your husband good, not harm, all the days of your life if you are walking with the LORD and seeking His glory in all you do.

*If women decided to read, study, and make Proverbs 31 their instructions for living, I believe they would walk in great confidence and truly please the LORD with their actions

.....

Being in Thomasville is really interesting. Everything is different. The day after I arrived here, I went straight into a Disciple Now kind of week with the youth. Around twenty girls came and I was their leader. The week was called “Refresh”. Basically, some of the youth get together and are taught under the authority of the church. The area of study this time was the New Testament. The first message was on the gospels; the second was on the early church (Acts); the third was on the Letters; the fourth was on repentance; the fifth was on Revelation. I was asked to speak for the third and fifth session; it was the first time that I ever spoke. Each lesson had two leaders that sort of tag-teamed the message. It was really neat.

Brett & I spoke on the Letters. Being able to work together was awesome. Just realizing that we needed each other was really beneficial. Having someone with me, who had different knowledge than I had, made everything a lot easier.

The second time I spoke was with Matthew. He is a great friend. I was glad to be able to partner with him. To be honest, he did not need me at all. He is studying to be a pastor, so he went all out in pastor mode. I was just there to read scripture and share my heart with the students.

Both of the lessons that I was supposed to speak on were given to me last minute. It was a little hard trying to pull together information and get things ready when I was also required to stay up with the twenty girls. A few of them wanted one-on-one time with me, and I knew that was more important than preparing for a lesson that Holy Spirit could speak through me, regardless of how much I studied.

Also, just getting back in the country made things a little difficult. I had only been in America two full days when I had arrived in Thomasville. So, my sleep was way off. On top of that, the girls wanted to stay up individually talking and praying with me. It was genuinely my pleasure to be with the girls and to help them as best as possible.

My desire in every relationship is to bless the one’s that surround me. So, I always want to give my all. I want to treat relationships with equality, loving everyone the same. It was hard when I was so exhausted and unable to fully communicate the love of God to the girls. The later it got, the less I had to give. All I wanted was God to speak through me and love them, because I was finding it so difficult to stay awake. I know that God did things through me that I am unaware of, and for that I am thankful.

Refresh ended early Friday morning. After Matthew & I spoke on Revelation, we all headed back to the church and packed up. Rob, the youth minister, had to go out of town. So, I was in charge of waiting for all of the students to leave (because an adult had to be with them). Around 12:30, they all left. I followed shortly after. Once I got back to my [host] home, I fell asleep. From a little after one until six o’clock, I was passed out. It was a nice nap.

After that. I talked to my little brother for a while (he was so sweet & texted me today). Then, we had dinner around eight. Brandi & Michael made yummy fajitas. After dinner, we started to watch “Tangled” as a family. Michael was really tired and fell asleep and Brandi went to get ready for bed. I decided to go to my room as well. It is around 12:30 a.m. on Saturday morning and I am thinking sleep in is the schedule soon.

A big part of me misses being back on campus. That is the truth. I do not miss being there because I am not enjoying myself here. That is far from the truth. I really just miss my friends, or I miss having friends.

Being in Thomasville is nice, because I know that a lot of girls are able to draw from me. Being in Thomasville is also hard, because I feel like I have no one to draw from.

Sometimes, I just need someone to pray over me. Every now and then, I want to hear an encouraging word from a friend. A big part of me misses friendship. It is nice to have friends close who just want to love you. I keep praying that God will provide friends and remind me of the friendships that He wants me to keep. It seems like I would have to travel many hours to be with a best friend. This time that seems hard for me is really a great thing. God is showing me more of His character and revealing to me the truth that He is my best friend. I feel bad that He has to re-teach me all that He taught me last summer, but I am grateful that He is patient and faithful to me.

Worship is good. Just being able to always thank the Father is such a joy. I am drawing so much closer to God than I could have anticipated. He is peace and my security. He is my hope and my true love.

There is always something to learn. In every situation that you are in, God is willing to teach you something. Christians and non-Christians alike are used by God to teach God’s children. I am thankful that God is not in a box, and that He is willing to speak to us in all things. He is my encouragement.

If any of you think of me, please pray that I will recognize God’s hand in all that I do. Pray that His love will be my motivation in everything, that the friendships I used to have would be restored, that I would worship God in spirit and in truth, and that He would bring spiritual authority into my life. I desire to be taught under godly men & women. We all need spiritual authority.

I love you all & am thankful that you follow my blog.

It is my prayer that God will draw you all closer to His heart, that He will open doors for you to present the gospel, that you will follow Him closely and let go of all that hinders you in order to know Him better. May the peace of God be with you all.

Chynna


Friday, June 3rd

God, do you know how I long for You? Of course You do. You know my every thought. When my mind turns to You, its wonderings are before You. Nothing is hidden from Your sight. Father, I ask for boldness to spread Your word in all things. May my life be an offering that pleases You? For You have not withheld any blessings from me. Your love for me is amazing; it is strong and firm. There is nothing that can separate me from Your love. My own thoughts are not strong enough, for they constantly turn to You. This summer, I need You. Last summer was absolutely amazing- And so will this one be. It is You that I choose to cling to. While You are near to me, I will draw near to You. You are all I need. I love You.


When we stay in a place of worship we are walking in spirit and in truth. Viewing every opportunity as a chance to bring God praise is crucial for someone claiming to live as Jesus lived. He was always aware of His Fathers heart. This would only be possible if He was constantly focused on Him. Jesus’ heart was pure, so He saw God (blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God- Matthew 5). Just think if your number one priority was to thank God for all that He does for you, would your life look different? Yes, it would. Your mind would be on His grace instead of whatever other selfish desires fill your heart. You would see everything different. It would no longer be possible to become impatient if your mind was on God because you would be reminded of how patient He is with you; you would no longer be able to complain, because thanksgiving would overrule all other thoughts that come from your flesh.
Is it a challenge? Is God’s grace always remembered? Are you constantly thanking God for everything He has done? Jesus did it; He always gave praise to His Father. How much more should we, who are not perfect, thank our Father? Who can say that this constant communion and thanksgiving is unnecessary? Jesus is the only one that could have… but Jesus knew God. He knew that God, His Father, is worthy of ALL praise. So, while He was on earth, He continually blessed the name of the LORD. In Scripture we are told that those who claim to be believers ought to live as Jesus lived. Holy living is not the challenge, it is the standard. We are called to live as He lived.
Our lives are to be lived as a thank offering. Be thankful for all that God has done. Do not take His love for granted; do not take His voice for granted. Hear Him & respond humbly with thanksgiving.


Remember, He did not HAVE to do anything He did. He chose to make a way for you to Him because He LOVES you. He loves you.

Thomasville :)

HEY YOU'S!!
(Aussie lingo)

I arrived in Thomasville just yesterday! :) It is nice to be in a new town! The effects of jetlag are real. Don't let anyone tell you they are not. Today has been wonderful, things are finally coming back to normal!!

This summer I will be working at Thomasville Baptist Church as the youth intern. As I was running around taking care of things today, the LORD reminded me of what an honor it is to be working here. If any one is undeserving of such a position, it is me! But God's grace is more than sufficient... He has covered me with honor instead of shame!! :) I am thankful.

The youth here are amazing. They are all full of joy & being around them blesses me so much.

Something really neat happened a moment ago.... So, when I first got here... I saw this really neat journal & thought to myself, "wow, I want to find one of those" (you have to understand, I LOVE TO WRITE & always enjoy new journals)... well, God knew my thoughts... So today, as I was hanging out with the youth upstairs (just a few minutes ago) Rob, the youth minister that I am under, brought me a gift and said that it was something all of the interns get... GUESS WHAT IT WAS?? It was the journal that I wanted!!! How sweet is God? His love for me is overwhelming. Our God is concerned with the little things. He just is!

For all who are curious... This summer, I will be living with a young married couple... I am really glad to be living with the Scarboroughs. Brandi & Michael have made every effort to keep me in a place where I know that I am welcome. It is so nice! For me, family is something that I long for... It seems as though God is giving me a family (even if it is temporary, this is the moment that I am in... and in this moment, I have a family)... and a home! What a beautiful thing God is doing. There is so much to write... but, I need to get busy with other things..

Refresh starts tonight. It is a Disciple Now type event. The LORD will change lives & draw the students closer to His heart... I believe that.. Anyone who is able to partner in prayer... please do! God hears us. He is doing so much. He is in control. His will be done.

AHH! I LOVE YOU ALL! Enjoy your life :) Make the most of every opportunity.