Devo-log. D-vlog. Dlog. LOL.

Precious.

The smile of a father.

I sat across from a casual parent-teacher conference at a nearby Starbucks. As the teacher turned to the little boy to test his reading comprehension, I couldn’t help but notice the father’s face. He sat there, looking directly at his son, as proud as can be. The little boy continued reading, with his teacher guiding his speech with the tip of her finger. Once finished, the teacher focused her attention back on the father; however, his eyes gave a delay before turning to the woman. Such love is unique to those with children. It was the sweetest scene to start off my week.

Just think, how much more proud would our Father be when we do our best to please Him? Imagine how beautiful His smile is? How comforting His hugs are? He has an unconditional love. Something we can’t fathom.

This morning, I prayed for a good day & of course, the day would lead me to a reminder of my Savior. To strive to become holy is what he asks from me. By His grace, I’ll continue to live with an eternal perspective.

“How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.” —Psalm 36:7

—Loris.

Raincheck.

I was talking to a friend about what we’ve been up to lately after the IAG show. I simply told him that I’ve been trying to hang out as much as I can before school starts up again, which led us to talk about colleges & such.

“So what year are you in now?”
“Oh, I’m going into my 2nd year at Cypress.”
“Wow. I’ve been in college forever… I need to get out, hahaha.”
“Hahaha, yeah, get on that!”
“Yeah, well… I’m trying to. God is sovereign. Gotta please the parents, but you know, gotta please God first.”

Dang, that hit it tonight. Lately, I’ve found myself constantly saying, “not my plans, but His.” I’ve found myself in conversations that remind me of how little control I should have over my own life. This whole week was full of plans but they have been constantly pushed aside. We can plan out our lives until the point of death, but I can bet you that our Lord has something even better planned out for us. & I believe that He’ll show us. By His grace, I’m where I am today. Friendships have been tested & plans have been torn because I’d rather be learning more about my God than going out somewhere else; I’m never disappointed.

My favorite verse:

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord. ‘plans to prosper you & not to harm you, plans to give you hope & a future.’” —Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

& with that, I’m praying for many people tonight. Praying for their futures & what God has in store of them. Praying for myself as well, that I may be receptive to His will rather than my own.

He never disappoints.
—Loris.

Change.

Just something that caught my attention during Sunday’s sermon:

“If you truly believe in your heart that you have been changed by Christ, then stop living a life of sin. Start living a holy & blameless life.”

Convicting message.
—Loris.

What are you ashamed of?

Real talk, we haven’t written here in FOREVAAAH. So terrible. But I’ve been learning alot. Been having a lot of conviction, too. Conviction’s such a pain in the butt but it feels pretty good sometimes. Laziness has consumed me as summer break has finally begun, but I can’t let laziness consume my spiritual life. I’m pretty sure I said before, everyday we should be growing closer to Jesus Christ. Everyday. Everyday we should be loving Him more and praising Him even more and reading even MORE of His Word. Unfortunately, I’m not there yet. If anything, I’ve grown further from Him. Detached from prayer, detached from His word. Those are the spiritual disciplines right there. Absolute essential discplines— Prayer & Bible reading. Although I’ve been reading & praying, it hasn’t been genuine. Distractions fill my mind and my time and I have to admit that they have become chores. But! They can’t be. Never ever. Prayer & Bible reading should be a must. A JOY. Why aren’t I more excited to speak to God? Why aren’t I more excited to learn more about Him? That’s what I’m ashamed of.

Probably because I’m being pulled by sin into the pleasures of the world. Perhaps I’m starting to love spending time with my friends more than spending time with God. Perhaps I’m starting to love playing music more than reading my Bible. Perhaps I’m starting to be more concerned about my plans for tomorrow than for my plans for someone ELSE’s tomorrow. How many people are drowning in a pool of sin, calling for me to save them? It’s like I’m just watching, acting as if nothing is wrong. Probably enjoying the view more than paying attention to the true scenario. That’s what I’m ashamed of.

I don’t need to be more consistent, I need to be more productive. Words come in one ear and out the other; I really should be digesting the message. Really need to actually meditate on His word. Joshua 1:8, “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” (NIV)

Day. & Night.

Yep, that’s my struggle for the World Wide Web to see. But this is a devolog, so it’s part blog too! I have a lot of notes that I’ve wanted to share here over the last few days, but I’m going to have to review them first beforehand. Sigh, I have so much to share! I’m excited. Be excited.

I sure do hope that your personal walks with Christ are going well. Prayers & Bible readings, especially. Did you know that NOT praying.. is a sin? I relearned that today & it’s always a good reminder. 1 Samuel 12:23, “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right.” (NIV). We miss out on SO much with every second that we choose to put off prayer or reading His word. Worldliness has got a hold on me. That’s what I’m ashamed of. I need to brush it off and just run to Jesus.

Every Saturday at our discipleship sessions, we’re asked to answer the question, “what are you ashamed of?” Whether it be prayer-wise or reading-wise, you gotta get down to the bottom of it. What has consumed so much of your time that you can’t even take the time to speak to your Master?

—Loris.

“Earthshake!”

Thanks, Richard for making the 4.9 earthquake yesterday completely hilarious (:

Alright, so I apologize for not keeping up with this blog. It’s actually pretty hard to get any decent amount of time to type up a devotion especially when I’m not guaranteed the computer to myself everyday. But enough of that, onto loving God’s word!

Yes, I did feel the earthquake last night. I was with Loris & my friends Chrissy&Jacob. We were just studying and I felt a little shake. “Oh shoot.” “What?” Cue earthquake. It was kinda crazy. I wasn’t even panicking. I was just watching everything move and listening to everyone’s reaction. “Get on the floor!” “Get under a table!” “Run to a corner!” At least we’re prepared?! We know every single safety rule. Thanks, elementary school!

You know what the earthquake reminded me of? Just how fragile we are as humans. That was a 5.0 earthquake that only lasted a few seconds and we couldn’t do anything about it. What if that earthquake was of an even bigger magnitude? What if it lasted longer? Oh well, there’s nothing we can do about it. Just the slightest change in nature can totally mess us up. Turn the temperature dial up just a few degrees and we’re complaining that it’s hot. Strong winds plus heavy rains can ruin our day. Earthquakes are natural, but they can bring disaster to everything and everyone. These are just a few, but if any of these just turned really really bad, then our lives are pretty much owned.

Loris&I (me&Loris?) have pulled verses from this book a couple times and I’ve been wanting to write about it for a while. I just never had the perfect opportunity to do so.

“For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him.

He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”
—Colossians 1:16-17 (tNIV)

This verse is SO perfect! ESPECIALLY verse 17. We talked about this during our discipleship session. God is just holding this world together. It is a TRUE blessing to wake up everyday. Not just the fact that your heart is still beating, but that the world that you depend your life on is still in tip-top shape to support you. God is so good to us, guys. God created this world and everyone in it and people are constantly rejecting Him everyday. People are sinning every single second of the day. Topics are becoming controversial (i.e. homosexuality) when it is straight out of the Bible that it is wrong (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Romans 1:25-27). Everyone should be grateful that God has not destroyed us. This world is so full of sin, yet He is keeping us alive by holding the whole world together with His own hands. We’re His creation, He has the ultimate power to do whatever He wants to do.

The earthquake was a total wake-up call/reminder to me. It’s like God was letting me know He’s still there and He can control everything. Even the very ground we walk on.

Completely humbled,
Jainah.

Uplifting.

Quick note: Jainah hasn’t been posting lately because she hasn’t been able to get to a computer! But she’s really trying to find time. Pray for that! Until then, you’re stuck with me. :) Pray for me, too. HAHA.

Oh my GOODNESS, I love my Savior! I really cannot ever fathom His preeminence. How blessed are we to be able to know this awesome God?! :) (By the way, rhetorical question. Although, the answer should be: VERY.)

Tonight, I was actually trying to find a passage to read about overcoming obstacles— pain, weariness, trials in general. I got home a little over an hour ago, and left the house this morning at around 9… which leaves us at a grand total of ~13 hours away from home. Huzzah. (Not really.) I came home pretty exhausted but I find so much comfort in taking out my Bible. Tonight, I turned to the book of Job. I LOVE the story of Job. Through all of his afflictions, he trusted God completely— even after his friends abandoned him, his livestock died out, his family died out, his home destroyed, his health in terrible condition. In this, I was hoping to find some encouraging words. However, I stumbled upon some of the last few chapters of the book of Job and found comfort in something else. This verse caught my eye:

How great is God— beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out. —Job 36:26 (NIV)

My smile was huge. My heart was warmed. My stress, relieved! God is so so so good. He is greater than all my problems. All my worries. Everything. And He will take care of me. I’m always in awe just trying to imagine God’s greatness. I mean, God’s greater than TIME. So, if you start by thinking about the concept of time… just think, God is BEYOND that. Crazy, right?! Sigh. I love Him. :)

I remember the youth coordinator at our church saying that when he opens his Bible, it’s like having God opening His arms, as if He’s saying, “Come, spend time with me.” I strongly recommend that you open your Bible. My friend always says that “you don’t read the Bible— the Bible reads you.” It really does. God always knows what to say. Take it from me: tonight, I opened it with a purpose, an expectation, something specific to my needs. Instead, I was greeted with meaning, surprise, and something greater than my needs. It wasn’t what I was looking for… it was better.

Kbye.
—Loris.

Think again.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
—Romans 12:12 (NIV)

Patient in affliction. I must admit, I’m finding myself lacking in patience in these most recent days. Day after day, we are tested by others who don’t necessarily share the same view as ours. Many times, we don’t handle those situations well. This past week has been stressful, especially dealing with school and family. In fact, it’s always school and family. My commute is basically from home to school, and back. Many times I get frustrated with teachers, with family members, and at other points, frustrated with myself. Being aggravated, I choose to let it be, having the bitterness fill me up until I drift off to sleep. Forsure, not the healthiest thing in the world.

Keep in mind that as Christians, we gotta live a Christ-like life. Being impatient is definitely not a characteristic we should embrace.

The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
—1 John 4:8 (NASB)

Yep, if we know Him, we should know how to love. This leads to one of my favorite passages .. in the WORRRLDDD. :)

⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. —1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV)

These 4 verses show so much about God’s character. He’s the greatest, really. Hah. But yeah, rethink how you act next time. Not only act, but what you say, and what you think. Even thinking about sinful things is sinning in itself. Intense.

Until next time, I’ll be praying, forsure. It’s not enough to just read the Word; you gotta apply it too. :)

Kbye.
—Loris.

Reminder.

⁸ “Those who cling to worthless idols
forfeit the grace that could be theirs.

⁹ But I, with a song of thanksgiving,
will sacrifice to you.
What I have vowed I will make good.
Salvation comes from the LORD.”

—Jonah 2:8-9

This was the end of Jonah’s prayer, right before God told the fish to spit him out.

I love the story of Jonah. God really knows what’s best. Just wanted to remind you to not “cling to worthless idols”! & when you make sacrifices for God, be thankful & praise Him! He gave you salvation in the first place. Cahmon, it’s the least you could do.

Kbye.
—Loris.