Body + Love

"With my body I thee worship."

So goes the old wedding vow.

But could that vow apply to singles too?

Or, more accurately, could we not apply that as humans relating to our God?

"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you,whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."  

-- Paul to the Corinthians (1 Cor 6:19-20)

Loving God through the body He gave me.

Like everything else, our body is a gift that we can use or misuse. It's something we can develop or destroy. Maintenance takes effort, but it goes a long way to maximize what we've got. :)

"In Christ, there is no more condemnation."

Today, I had a lot of opportunities to work out. Which I did *not* take. Again. But the attitude is already there. And baby steps (back to working out, eating right)...

Let's go Lord! Life is too precious to waste. :)

My desktop right now ;)

Strength is for service

Edited from: http://www.finishingstrong.info/give-me-your-hand/

There's a song that empowers even the smallest and weakest of us. We have the power of choice and the power of God working in and through us:

My hands are small, I know
But they're not yours, they are my own
And I am never broken...
We are God's eyes, God's hands, God's mind
We are God's eyes, God's hands, God's heart
       - Jewel, "Hands"

(See also lyrics video here)

 

     "We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: 'The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.'

      - Paul to the Romans, 15:1-3

http://www.health4thinkers.com/2011/06/09/tackling-mental-health-reveals-spiritual-health-needs/

http://www.godsaxle.com/2012/02/the-strong-hand-of-the-lord/

http://blog.surveymonkey.com/blog/2013/04/08/contribute-update-surveymonkey/

http://www.grace2help.com/2012/11/24/week-twentythe-hand-of-god/

  

     "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

      - Paul to the Romans, 15:4-6

 http://shinebrightlyforjesus.blogspot.com/2011/08/courage-it-is-i.html

Why Christians need not fear

In Edward R. Dayton's book "Tools for Time Management" (yes, Time Management!):

• "Life is too short to spend it half-heartedly."
• "Of all the people in the world, Christians should be the ones with the greatest ability to grow. Our past is forgiven and our future is secure."

God reminds us many times, "Don't be afraid." Many times we need to know why. Here are just some:


1. Jesus says to His followers (John 16:33)

• "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

 
2.  From Paul's first letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 3:21-23)

• "Everything is already yours as a gift --- Paul, Apollos, Peter, the world, life, death, the present, the future --- all of it is yours, and you are privileged to be in union with Christ, who is in union with God." 

3. From John Piper's letter to the people in Jerusalem

• We will not die apart from God’s gracious decree for his children. (James 4:14-15; Matthew 10:29-30; Deuteronomy 32:39)
• Curses and divination do not hold sway against God’s people. (Numbers 23:23)
• The plans of terrorists and hostile nations do not succeed apart from our gracious God. (Psalm 33:10; Isaiah 8:9-10) 
• Man cannot harm us beyond God’s gracious will for us. (Psalm 118:6; Psalm 56:11)
• God promises to protect his own from all that is not finally good for them. (Psalm 91:14) 
• God promises to give us all we need to obey, enjoy, and honor him forever. (Matthew 6:31; Philippians 4:19)
  
• God is never taken off guard. (Psalm 121:4) 
• God will be with us, help us, and uphold us in trouble. (Isaiah 41:10, 13)
  
• Terrors will come, some of us will die, but not a hair of our heads will perish. (Luke 21:10–11, 18) 
• Nothing befalls God’s own but in its appointed hour. (John 7:30)
• When God Almighty is your helper, none can harm you beyond what he decrees. (Hebrews 13:6; Romans 8:31)
  
• God’s faithfulness is based on the firm value of his name, not the fickle measure of our obedience. (1 Samuel 12:20–22)
  
• The Lord, our protector, is great and awesome. (Nehemiah 4:14)
  

 
What shall we say then? Paul writes to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 15:58):

• "With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don’t hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort."

Honor God with your body

Let's talk about sex, marriage, and food. Because it's February :)  From Paul's first letter to the Corinthians (3:16-17, 6:9-7:11):

 

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/images/body/body2.jpg

"You realize, don't you, that you are the temple of God, and God Himself is present in you? No one will get by with vandalizing God's temple, you can be sure of that. God's temple is sacred --- and you, remember, are the temple...

"Don't you realize that this is not the way to live? Unjust people who don't care about God will not be joining in His kingdom. Those who use and abuse each other, use and abuse sex, use and abuse the earth and everything in it, don't qualify as citizens in God's kingdom. A number of you know from experience what I'm talking about, for not so long ago you were on that list. Since then, you've been cleaned up and given a fresh start by Jesus, our Master, our Messiah, and by our God present in us, the Spirit.

"Just because something is technically legal doesn't mean that it's spiritually appropriate. If I went around doing whatever I thought I could get by with, I'd be a slave to my whims.

http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/logos/logos1206/logos120600468/

14092973-catering-buffet-food-in-luxury-restaurant-with-dessert-and-fresh-fruits.jpg 

"You know the old saying, 'First you eat to live, then you live to eat'? Well, it may be true that the body is only a temporary thing, but that's no excuse for stuffing your body with food, or indulging it with sex. Since the Master honors you with a body, honor Him with your body!

"God honored the Master's body by raising it from the grave. He'll treat yours with the same resurrection power. Until that time, remember that your bodies are created with the same dignity as the Master's body. You wouldn't take the Master's body off to a whorehouse, would you? I should hope not.

 

http://www.godsownholidays.com/graphics/images/honeymoon1.jpg

"There's more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, 'The two become one.' Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever --- the kind of sex that can never 'become one.' There is a sense in which sexual sins are different from all others. In sexual sin we violate the sacredness of our own bodies, these bodies that were made for God-given and God-modeled love, for 'becoming one' with another. Or didn't you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don't you realize that you can't live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body. 

"Now, getting down to the questions you asked in your letter to me. First, is it a good thing to have sexual relations?

http://images03.olx.com.ph/ui/1/57/11/6965611_1.jpg 

"Certainly --- but only within a certain context. It's good for a man to have a wife, and for a woman to have a husband. Sexual drives are strong, but marriage is strong enough to contain them and provide for a balanced and fulfilling sexual life in a world of sexual disorder. The marriage bed must be a place of mutuality --- the husband seeking to satisfy his wife, the wife seeking to satisfy her husband. Marriage is not a place to 'stand up for your rights.' Marriage is a decision to serve the other, whether in bed or out. Abstaining from sex is permissible for a period of time if you both agree to it, and if it's for the purposes of prayer and fasting --- but only for such times. Then come back together again. Satan has an ingenious way of tempting us when we least expect it. I’m not, understand, commanding these periods of abstinence --- only providing my best counsel if you should choose them.

"Sometimes I wish everyone were single like me --- a simpler life in many ways! But celibacy is not for everyone any more than marriage is. God gives the gift of the single life to some, the gift of the married life to others.

"I do, though, tell the unmarried and widows that singleness might well be the best thing for them, as it has been for me. But if they can’t manage their desires and emotions, they should by all means go ahead and get married. The difficulties of marriage are preferable by far to a sexually tortured life as a single. And if you are married, stay married. This is the Master’s command, not mine. If a wife should leave her husband, she must either remain single or else come back and make things right with him. And a husband has no right to get rid of his wife."

My solid ground

This is the Star Frisbee, perhaps the craziest ride in Star City.

https://twitter.com/iamglezjvn1/

(Yes, those are legs dangling as the pendulum swings and rotates.)

This is me on the Star Frisbee.

Just to be clear, that is not a smile --- that is a grimace of intense fear and psychological pain. The horror of it all in multiple angles.

As I was mercilessly thrown back and forth,
I was processing how in the world I got there,
barely able to breathe in (and gasp out "LORD!")
          when the ride braces for the next swing.
Realizing there's no escape and I just have to ride it out,
I told myself, "Well, nobody died from this yet, so I should be okay."

I did get out alive; a proud survivor but with no plans of returning, thank you very much.



Just like 2012.

The year I turned 30 was the craziest ride ever, wilder than all the past years combined. Beliefs were turned upside down. Boundaries were formed and reformed. Principles were challenged. Priorities were refined. All of a sudden, God gave me maturity, self-control, security and peace.
I was shaken, I was strengthened. And yet through it all, my God remains the same. He is changing me --- improving, pruning, developing. As for Himself, He really can't improve on perfection now, can He?

Our God is the one stable and constant Presence in the universe. He is terra firma: solid ground. His Word does not change even when our understanding of it does. His gifts remain with us even when we forget about them, or ignore or misuse them. Most importantly, He is with us, always, period.

When the Star Frisbee of Life tosses me wildly back and forth, I will put my trust in what is secure. That ride is ultimately anchored on the ground; rocky circumstances ultimately answer to God Himself. I'll place my hope in my terra firma: enduring dangling in mid-air by remembering what the ground feels like... and making sure I get to touch base (literally get grounded) as much as possible.

In case of emergency

Is this how we think of God?

 

http://thestressedmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/in-case-of-emergency.jpg

Yes, God is "our refuge and strength in times of trouble"... but what about the other times? Do we treat Him like a fire extinguisher, collecting dust (at the back of our minds) until the next emergency?

Our God is bigger than any emergency. I've been a Christian long enough to observe that whenever something feels like it's a CRISIS, it's because I've lost sight of CHRIST. My universe was revolving around something else, such that when a problem appears, I panic because my new god can't really do anything about it.

In case of emergency, I find myself running to God. Which makes me realize how *far* I've drifted from Him. But that's OK --- what matters is we're back together. :)

 

http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/thumblarge_645/13204491657P868u.jpg

In case of emergency, I need to break my heart. And put Him back inside.

Tempted much? Some reminders

http://www.blessedisthekingdom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/temptation_575.jpg

These days I'm very tempted. And I fall, fall, and fall.

Reminders from His Word: 

"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.”
 (1 Corinthians 10:13–14) 

"Do not give the devil a foothold."
(Ephesians 4:27)

"When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."(James 1:13-15)



There's also a very good discussion here: "10 Temptation Truths"


God bless you, and God bless me. Gotta claim that. And look to Him, first and foremost, once again.

The Way of the Brave

In the same way I was with Moses, I'll be with you.
I won't give up on you;
I won't leave you.
Strength! Courage!
    - God (The book of Joshua)


It's Monday... and one week to go before I go back to being a teacher and erstwhile-graduate-student.

So help me God, I will be brave.

  

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/2012/03/brave_-_h_2012.jpg_rgb.jpg

Being brave means:

• taking responsibility for myself instead of blaming others;
• looking at the big picture and planning ahead;
• doing what I love and loving what I do;
• being unperturbed as I look towards the goal; and
• just putting that foot out already!

As a believer of Christ, being brave boils down to continuing to believe in Him. The war is already won; the victory is already assured! The only question is whose side we are on. :)

Interestingly, the BibleGateway Verse of the Day (found as a widget on the upper right side of this blog) reads:

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me — the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace. (Acts 20:24)


In obeying God I am often overwhelmed or discouraged. Lord, please remind me that it is YOUR strength and power that enables me to live for You. Then it would be quite easy to be brave.

Bigger than God?

Eep!


Panic...


Problem?


Yep.


BIG problem?


Uh-huh.


Bigger than God?


...

Not really.




Alright then.

Too scared to move?

Sometimes in our fear that we might do something wrong,
We end up not doing anything right either

Sometimes we know all too well what we cannot do,
How about looking at the things we can do?

"We can do ALL things through CHRIST Who strengthens us."
:)

Just giving (back) the glory, the blessings

The NIV Student Bible explains:

David's prayer at the beginning of temple construction shows why he was a man after God's own heart. Despite all his achievements, he was deeply humble. He wanted glory to go to God, not Himself.


Here's the gist of the prayer from 1 Chronicles 29:

David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, saying,


Praise be to You, O LORD,
God of our father Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.

Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is Yours.

Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom;
You are exalted as head over all.

Wealth and honor come from You;
You are the ruler of all things.

In Your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.

Now, our God, we give You thanks,
and praise Your glorious name.


But who am I, and who are my people,
that we should be able to give as generously as this?
Everything comes from You,
and we have given You only what comes from Your hand.


As for all this abundance that we have provided
for building You a temple for Your Holy Name,
it comes from Your hand,
and all of it belongs to You.


I know, my God,
that You test the heart and are pleased with integrity.
All these things have I given willingly and with honest intent.
And now I have seen with joy 
how willingly Your people who are here have given to You.


O LORD, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel,
keep this desire in the hearts of Your people forever,
and keep their hearts loyal to You.


And give my son the wholehearted devotion
to keep Your commands, requirements and decrees.

The strong God is looking for...?

His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
     nor His delight in the legs of a man;
the LORD delights in those who fear Him,
     who put their hope in His unfailing love.
(Psalm 147:10-11)


The Lord is a God of strength, as this song amply demonstrates. But power doesn't delight Him. More than anything He loves to be in a close relationship to people who respond to His love. - The New Student Bible, NIV (1992)

Awake. Arise. Work.

Awake.
Arise.
Work.


From the book of Haggai:

Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory?
How do you see it now?
Is it not as nothing in your eyes?
Yet now be strong... be strong...
Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the LORD.
Work, for I am with you, declares the LORD of hosts,
according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt.
My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not.
 
Consider: Is the seed yet in the barn?
Indeed, the vine, the fig tree,
the pomegranate, and the olive tree
have yielded nothing.

But from this day on I will bless you.

The Liberty Manifesto

Then you shall know the truth,
and the truth shall set you free.
     - Jesus

No more frettin'

I keep on forgettin'
That I shouldn't be frettin'
'Coz I already know the (awesome) ending

False bravado

Surely He scorns the scornful,
     but gives grace to the humble.
- Proverbs 3:34


There are people who act brave and strong
     ... but only in groups
     ... but only towards those who can't or won't fight back

There are people who talk loud and confident
     ... about things they know are lies
     ... about others' faults, instead of facing their own

May you find strength to do what's really brave
     ... to be honest to admit what you have done wrong
     ... to be true to what you know is right
     ... to endure hardship, humiliation, isolation
     ... to take the high road rather than the easy life.

Jesus died on the cross, not because He was weak
     but because He can handle the lies, the pain, and death itself
     all the way to Resurrection Day

May you find real strength when you lean on Him.


For I do not do the good I want,
but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.
Now if I do what I do not want,
it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
- Romans 7:19-20, 24-25

Devil tactics

Do you find yourself doing too much? ... too little?

If Satan can't scare you,

he'll try to distract you.

Be wise. :) And, eyes on the prize. :)

"I know your works.
Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut.
I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept My word and have not denied My name...
Because you have kept My word about patient endurance,
I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world,
to try those who dwell on the earth.
I am coming soon.
Hold fast to what you have,
so that no one may seize your crown.
The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God."
- Revelation 3:8,10-12a


"Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial
because, having stood the test,
that person will receive the crown of life
that the Lord has promised to those who love him."
- James 1:12


"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
- Hebrews 12:1-2

You first believed

We make a big deal about *our* faith but it's all about God, including *His* faith in seemingly hopeless people like you and me.

You first believed
by Hoku
(listen here)

How many times did I pray You'd find me...
How many wishes on a star,
Gazing off into the dark
Dreaming I'd see Your face
Safe at home unafraid,
Captured in Your embrace.

So many times when my heart was broken,
Visions of You would keep me strong.
You were with me all along,
Guiding my every step.
You are all that I am
And I'll never forget.

It was You, who first believed
In all that I was made to be.
It was You, looking in my eyes.
You held my hand and showed me life.
And I've never been the same,
Since You first believed.

There were times when I thought I'd lost You,
Fearing forever was a dream.
But it wasn't what it seemed,
Placing Your hand in mine,
You could see in the dark,
You were guiding my heart.

It was You, who first believed
In all that I was made to be.
It was You, looking in my eyes.
You held my hand and showed me life.
And I've never been the same,
Since You first believed.

It was You, who first believed
In all that I was made to be.
It was You, looking in my eyes.
You held my hand and You showed me life.
And I've never been the same,
Since You first believed.

How many times did I pray You'd find me...
How many wishes on a star...

traumatized?

Traumatized?

FACE your fears

and make NEW memories.

:)

protected

Like a mighty warrior,
the LORD is with me.

- Jeremiah 20:11a