Four Things Marriage Has Taught Me About My Relationship With Christ

Hello, All!
Today's post is one that I've actually been considering for some time, but haven't been able to get my thoughts collected clearly enough to write a blog post about it. (Not that this is going to be miraculously coherent now that I'm actually writing it, mind you--I'm not sure I'm capable of such a thing. ;) Still, I shall do my best. 

As most of you are aware, Luke and I have been married for just over a year now, and I can honestly say that I am incredibly blessed to have him for my husband, life partner, and best friend. Marriage has been so different in many ways than I imagined it...different as in FAR better than I ever thought! I'm not saying we've had a perfect marriage with zero problems or difficulties, but I can say that these have been few and far between; mostly because he is so good about patiently dealing with issues when they come along, and putting up with me and my flaws incredibly well. ;)

Over this very new season of life, God has used marriage to teach me some valuable lessons that I believe can apply to anyone, married or not. I hope that these things will be a blessing to those who read it, no matter what stage of life you are currently in! :) Without further ado, here are four things God has been teaching me through our marriage thus far.

1. The importance of serving God with the right motives.
One thing that has struck me lately is the fact that motives do matter. If you are doing the right thing for the wrong reasons or with the wrong attitude, then how much good are you really doing? In 1 Corinthians 13, it talks about all the "good works" that you can do that become nothing without the motive being that of charity. 

Applying this with marriage...I have realized clearly that when I serve my husband out of the deep love and respect that I hold for him both as a man, and as the man in specific that God has placed in my life to lead and protect me, it is so much more fulfilling and full of joy! Tasks can become a blessing and a pleasure, whereas if I'm performing them merely out of duty, they have the potential to become routine or tedious. I believe service to God is the same way--when my heart attitude towards the acts of service are not right, I can very quickly slip into the mindset of either pride ("My church should be thankful they have me") or self pity ("No one recognizes how much I do around here"). None of which is truly pleasing to God. How convicting!

2. My responsibility to invest in my communication and relationship with The Lord.
A few weeks ago this thought really hit me...if I talked to Luke as often and as long as I talked to God, how would our relationship look? Wow. To rephrase, if I were to go days or weeks hardly talking to Luke at all (as I'm ashamed to say I've done with The Lord--short, unfocused prayer times, etc.) we would probably have a really terrible marriage. I know everyone talks about the importance of communication in marriage, so much so that it sounds cliche, but it's really incredibly true. The minute our loving and focused communication starts slipping, our closeness begins to suffer. The sad thing to me is that in the area of my relationship with God, a communication breach is always MY FAULT. Not His. Ever, in any way. God has given me His Word, and promised to speak to me through it. I have everything I need, and yet I fail Him and hinder a close, loving relationship by MY lack of communication. It would be as if Luke came home from work with loving words and arms open wide for me, and I turned my back and ignored him. I wouldn't dream of doing that to my sweet husband...yet how often do I neglect to draw near to my Lord because I "don't have the time"? 

3. How seriously I need to take sin.
When I hurt Luke, even in a small or seemingly insignificant way, it breaks my heart. I can't be content or happy until I have asked and received his forgiveness, and I know that things are reconciled between us. The feeling that I have caused a rift between us is something that I can hardly stand.

And yet, so often I tend to take a light view of "little" sins or offenses against God. I've really been convicted about this lately, because obviously I should be much more zealous about keeping a "clean slate" with God than I am even with my husband!

4. How much God loves me.
My husband loves me with such a selfless and unconditional love. He shows it every day through his words and actions--there has never been a time when I doubted that he loved me dearly. God has used Luke's love in my life to prove to me how much He Himself loves me. As much as I love and respect my husband, he is a sinner, as am I. And yet, if the love and care of a mere flawed human being can be so sweet and fulfilling to me, how much more the love of a perfect and unchanging God? To take this thought a step further...Luke has seen me at my worst and chosen to love me still. But though he knows me better than any other human on earth, even he cannot see my heart and the sin and folly it contains. God can, and His love for me is still perfect. That is amazing to think about! God knows all my deepest thoughts and imperfections, and keeps on loving me in spite of them. 

I hope that these thoughts were a blessing to you, whether you are in a relationship or not. They have been coming back to me over and over during the last few months, so I figured it was about time I tried to verbalize them. :) 

I'm sure once baby comes, I will have a whole new world of things God will want to teach me through that! For those wondering, the pregnancy is going well, and baby seems to be progressing as well as possible! :) I'll be 18 weeks on Tuesday, which means we will be able to find out the gender of our little one in about 2-3 weeks, depending on when I can get the scan before or after Thanksgiving. I'll be sharing on here once we find out!

Have a wonderful week! 
Mykaela

Merry Christmas!

I am alive and remain, you guys! ;)

I wanted my next post to be about my trip, which was amazing, but as of yet I have not had time to write that one. It will inevitably be a very long one, just so you know. :)

For now, I want to wish you all a very merry Christmas! What an incredible gift our God gave us in sending His perfect Son to be born in human flesh! I am so deeply grateful for the love He has shown me throughout this year. I can't believe 2017 is almost over?! Wow. The picture at the top of this post was taken this past week, and I really love the way it turned out. For those of you that are interested, here are the names and ages of us all. ;) 
Back row:
Miriam (Papa is holding her)--nearly 3.
My dad, Michael
Malachi--15
Micah--18
Me--21
Front:
My mom, Kami
Mercy--13
Kourage--11
Kayson--9
Kebron--7

The last three boys go by their middle names. ;)

This Christmas and New Year's season, let's not forget to take the time to meditate on the things God has done. I know things can get busy, and houses need to be cleaned, and guests are coming...but don't let that crowd out the beauty of just being still. I think one of the best things you can do this time of year is to get alone for at least a few moments, and just breathe, pray, and meditate on God's Word. I don't know about you, but my personal devotions tend to slip when there is a lot going on in my life. How wrong of me! If anything, my time with The Lord should INcrease, not DEcrease! 

When Christ was born in that tiny stable many years ago, and the shepherds came to witness the advent of their Messiah, the Bible says that Mary "kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart." (Luke 2:19). May each of us take the time to ponder and be grateful for the precious gifts God has given us!

May you have a blessed holiday season and a happy New Year! Love,
Mykaela

Voluntary Faithfulness

Their deep voices rolled over my 8 year old head in more ways than one. I sat on my living room floor, listening as my preacher father talked to a preacher friend. I remember thinking how much I enjoyed listening to their "doctrinal discourse", as I called it...I'm sure I just heard the phrase somewhere and thought it was neat. ;) Many of the things they talked about I couldn't understand very well, even having grown up in church under good preaching. How smart my dad must be to know so much about God and His Word! As a young child, I thought he must know more than anyone else in the world. 

Time passed, and seasons melted one into the next as the years went by. More preaching, more doctrinal discourse. I accepted The Lord as my personal Saviour at age 10, and began to grow in knowledge. Still, my convictions were formed based on my parents thoughts and study of God's Word. They taught me right and wrong, and why we believed certain ways about certain things. They wanted me to have wisdom and discernment about issues such as modesty, music, friendships, relationships, Godly leaders, role models, and entertainment. As a child, it was enough for me to know that they knew.

At some point, however, a shift had to happen. A change had to be made. I was growing up, as were my siblings, and soon--very soon, that would no longer be enough. As we grew older and made several moves in my teen years, we began to have more exposure to the world and the sparkly but lethal attractions it offered. I can't tell you the day or moment it happened, but all at once, I had to make choices on my own whether or not to chase after those attractions. 

There had to be a change of heart from me holding my parents' beliefs because they said so, and me holding those beliefs because I myself believed they were true. They had to become MY convictions. When you face a strong temptation, it doesn't work very well to say, "Oh, well...my parents say that's not a good thing to do..." No. There is a huge fall coming for someone who does that. 

Thank God, that change happened. I don't know the day or the moment, but in His infinite grace, He brought me into firm convictions about the truth of principles in His Word. I no longer hold to what my parents believe simply because they say so (though I am so deeply grateful for their teaching in my life!!!)...I do it because I truly want to follow the ways of God myself. I want to live out His Word in my life, with all my heart. And I fail, oh, I fail so often! But I can't express in words how thankful I am that God is willing to take me back and show me the way over and over. To cleanse me when I mess up yet again. 

Here is the heartbreaking part of this, though. I have many dear friends who have never made this choice. All through their teen years, they still served God like their parents did, but only because they had to. Once they turned 18, they had no reason to stay because their parents' faith had never become theirs. These are people that I love and care about, that I grew up with for a good piece of my life! I am thinking through name after name in my head as I write this...Over a dozen names of people I was close to at one time. Now, they have left church and their families. Some of them are married to or dating people they should never be involved with at all. Some of them are into drugs. Some are simply not interested in the things of God anymore...they have much more important things to think about and work towards, in their eyes. And when I think of and pray for them, it hurts so much, because I know how they once were. On fire for God, serving Him, and following His way, but never on their own. They never made the choice to grow towards God in their own lives, even if everyone around them were to fall away. And as a result, they themselves fell away, dragging many others with them. They have hurt the name of Christ, caused heartache and pain to their families, friends, and leadership, and discouraged others around them, all because they didn't make the shift from mandatory to voluntary faithfulness. God is able to draw them home and bring redemption in their lives. I know this, and I pray so often for it to be done. However, how many broken, wasted years have already gone by! And how many more will pass before they come back to the sheep fold!

I truly hope and pray that every one of us, myself most of all, will strive after the things of God. Not just because others say to, but because we truly want to be good soldiers ourselves. I know how hard it is sometimes to keep up the good fight. Things get discouraging. Times get tough, and the grass on the other side of the fence looks so much more appealing than the path God has us walking at this moment. But think of the reward! Think of hearing Jesus say "Well done, thou good and faithful servant"! Is it worth it to walk away? To drift around, not knowing your own convictions and beliefs? Think about it...your stand for Christ will ALWAYS be rewarded and blessed. Your stand against Him will only cause pain, grief, and heartbreak. By the grace of God, may we make the right choice!
Mykaela

To Know Him More Fully!

Psalm 42:1-2 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

"When we look to God, we trust. When we look to things, and circumstances, and surroundings, we grow anxious." ~~J. McConkey

"[Salvation] is where we begin [to know and pursue God], but where we stop no man has yet discovered, for there is in the awful and mysterious depths of the Triune God neither limit nor end." ~~A.W. Tozer

"The deepest fact about us is our desperate need of God." ~~Unknown

I would like to share with you something that I wrote in my prayer journal a few weeks ago. As I looked back over the things I'd written, these quotes came back to me as going hand in hand with it. I hope it is a blessing to you!

Prayer Journal, entry for ~July 30, 2017

Lately God has been teaching me an invaluable lesson. It is one that many others have learned, and even written about, before me. It's a lesson that, sadly, we can't seem to learn second hand. We must each find our way through it on our own. It is the path of realizing that there IS no complete and total fulfillment outside of knowing God. I will never find the fullness of joy in writing. In music. In a relationship. In a friendship. No mere thing and no mere human can ever take the place of the deepest longing of my soul--that of knowing and communing with God. Nothing can fill that hole. The more I try to fill it, the more weary and heartsick I will become. He is my strength, my Redeemer, my portion, my salvation, my Rock, my Fortress, the lifter up of mine head, the One True God, my King, my God. He is all. He. Is. All. Only God.

And another glorious wonder? God wants to know me. I am priceless and full of worth in His eyes. I have done nothing worthy of the God of the universe even noticing me, and yet He tells me that His thoughts of me are more numerous than can be counted. He loves me. How? I will never know. He is God. He is perfect. He is The Holy One, and yet He condescends to care about ME. I, who wanders away from Him at every turn. I, who is foolish and ungrateful, and does not love or praise Him as He deserves. He loves me. He wants me to know Him, He wants to fill that deepest longing of my heart. Wonder of all wonders, I am His. And He is mine. 
Mykaela

Are you a Chameleon Christian?

 

Psalm 31:19-20 Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.

 

Last night, I read this passage and stopped short. I've read it a million times but never really broke it down and thought carefully on it! (I know I'm not the only one here. ;) 

 

How great is God's goodness, which he has laid up for them that fear him, and trust in him before the sons of men. How many of us truly fear God and trust in Him, so much so that it's evident to the lost that we come in contact with? In other words, are you a Christian at home and at church, but once you enter the workplace suddenly all traces of your faith melt into the background? A "Chameleon Christian" as some have so aptly put it? Food for thought. 

 

A few days ago I stood near two of my coworkers who were having a discussion, and since we were in the Staff only area, the filters came off their mouths. The language that they used saddened me so deeply, because out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh--what they were saying was evidence of the depravity of their hearts. (Note: I am not passing judgement on them, God's Word has already done that. I am simply stating the fact that the lost cannot do the things of God, because they are not His children.) 

 

This verse made me think, though--should I have stood by passively, or should I perhaps have stood up and said something? I don't know exactly what the best course of action would have been in this situation--after all, the conversation did not include me. But I'm trying to think here...is it enough for me to merely NOT join in the ungodly conversations and actions that go on around me? I have had people tell me before, "Oh, you are doing great, the lost will notice and realize there is something different about you." Hmm...this sounds an awful lot like so-called "Lifestyle evangelism" to me. Something I wholeheartedly disagree with. Proverbs 29:24 says, "Whoso is partner with a thief hateth his own soul: he heareth cursing, and bewrayeth it not." The person who hears cursing, and doesn't protest it is described as hating his own soul. Who could hate their own soul?? 

 

In the verses at the top, it says, "Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues." In the secret of God's presence. In a pavilion. Those sound like peaceful and truly pleasant places to be! What is the biggest fear that stops us from stepping out more boldly in living out our faith? My guess would be fear of man. For me, that's what it is. I think things like, "They are going to think I'm a nutcase if I mention the goodness of God in this difficult situation!" or "I don't want them to think I'm being super annoying by asking them to please watch their language AGAIN." (Even though I don't think any one of my lost friends would mind if I did ask them this). Wow. How much am I fearing and trusting God before the sons of men? Not nearly as much as I should be, I fear. :( And yet why do I fear this when I have God's promise that He is enough, that I can hide in Him, and that He will protect me when I obey Him?

 

God promises great blessings and goodness to those who apply this. It says He has wrought great goodness...that means He specifically planned out these rewards. How much of His special gifts am I missing out on?? I heard a quote somewhere (I think it was from Mark Cahill), that says, "Never let your fear of man trump your love for God." I liked it so much I lettered it out and hung it in my room. But is that all it is--a hanging on the wall? Am I letting my fear of man overrule my love for God and my desire to follow His commands? I would encourage you to think on this with me as we go throughout this weekend--are we living boldly and passionately for Christ all through our lives? Or just in the parts where we won't face any ridicule or weird looks?

Mykaela 

A Few Survival Tips (From the only perfect Guidebook)

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
  
I was reading this passage in my morning devotions the other day, and was overwhelmed once again with the sheer richness of it. It's like a mini survival manual, tucked into the end of this short book of the Bible. I could write a separate blog post for each of these commands. For sake of brevity, I'll just break each of them down a little bit in one post. ;) This is such a practical section of Scripture that easy to work on applying on an hourly and daily basis. Notice I said "work on" applying. None of these things are innate; it takes effort to walk in God's ways. However, these are super straightforward and simple to understand. Let's look a little closer at the instructions...

1. Rejoice evermore.
Ok, wow. Right off the bat, we are getting into convicting mode. Does rejoicing mix well with complaining, gossip, bickering, or griping? No. No, it does not. So when I do ANY of those things, I am not rejoicing in The Lord. Which means I am sinning. Wow.


2. Pray without ceasing.
The issue of prayer has really been heavy on my heart for the past couple of months. I know my prayer life is one of the things I tend to let slip the most, and yet it is so utterly vital to my walk with God! Satan knows this, and he is quick to jump on opportunities to lure me into thoughts like, "Oh, I'll pray later when I have more time", or "I prayed some earlier, I don't need to spend more time in prayer now, do I?" Hello?! What better way to spend time than in the presence of my Saviour? And what other things do I hold as being more important? How dare I spend more time talking with my earthly friends or even my family, than I do talking with Almighty God who saved my soul?! I recently asked a dear friend to keep me accountable about my prayer time, because I want to strive more than ever to make prayer a daily and constant habit. Not just praying now and then throughout the day, but dedicating time to talking with God. Praying through the day is great though, don't get me wrong! It is so important to incorporate talking to and praising God into our routine tasks. <3


3. In every thing give thanks.
When my paycheck comes in early? Yeah, I give Him thanks. When I get to do something fun or special with a friend? Yep. When I am having a really, really good day? Sure. But what about when nothing is going right? When my body is hurting? When my friends are far away and I can't talk with or be with them like I want to? When I lose something or someone I loved? Do I still thank God? Do I still sing a song of praise to Him when my heart is breaking? In EVERY THING give thanks. Why? Because this is the will of God in Christ Jesus. And I need no more reason than that.


4. Quench not the Spirit.
When I see things from God's Word that contradict what I'm actually doing in my life, so often I have pushed it away with a feeble excuse. So often I am guilty of quenching the Spirit's whisperings of truth in my heart. The very One who was given to guide me, I turn away from. God forgive me.


5. Despise not prophesyings.
When I sit under the preaching of the Scripture, I should have an attitude of humility, searching my own heart. Not ever a spirit of criticism or annoyance at having to listen. So often, even as I walk in the doors of church, Satan is actively attacking. Whether it's me getting my hackles up about some silly offense, or a younger one straining my patience...it's a fight every time to have my heart prepared to be still and listen. And I don't always win that fight, but I'm going to keep trying.


6. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
One of the most popular Bible verses that the lost, (and many saved actually, too) like to twist is "Judge not, that ye be not judged." They usually just conveniently ignore the rest of the chapter, and even the second half of the verse, and chop it down to a simple and blanket statement: "Judge not." However, we as children of God SHOULD be judging certain things! Not looking down on others and beating them over the head for their sin; of course not! But we DO need to judge things that we come in contact with, be it as "small" as a movie or book, or as large as a new doctrine or idea being introduced. We have to look on these things with discernment, and judge whether they are right or wrong, using God's Word as the standard. We don't judge things or people out of our own hearts, because our hearts are corrupt, and trusting the heart is foolish. (Jer. 17:9, Prov. 28:26) But we do hold things up to the standard of the Bible, and if they pass the test, we should hold them fast. If not, we should run far away from them.


7. Abstain from all appearance of evil.
What if someone were to look through your life today? As in, everything from your Instagram and Facebook accounts, to the clothing you wear, to the books you read, to the movies you watch, to the friends you hang out with, to where you spend your weekends...everything. Would there be any evidence that you are a Christian? Or would there be so much appearance of evil that they would have a really hard time figuring it out? Man. That is really thought provoking.


8. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
This last section is so important, because we cannot even do one of the above mentioned things without the help of God. He is the One who sanctifies us, and gives us peace. He preserves us when we are following Him wholeheartedly. He is faithful to grow and lead us in His way, for He has called us by name. How precious to be guided and strengthened by God's hand! How earnestly we ought to strive to follow His commandments, for they are not grievous!
Mykaela

10 years ago...

Psalm 40:2-3 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.

Today is a very special day for me. 10 years ago on March 14, 2007, my life changed. And I don't mean just a little thing...my entire world was overturned and put back together again. It was the day that I let go of all my stupid, selfish pride, and asked God to save my soul. And He did!!! You can read the whole story in more detail here. Today I would like to take a moment to thank The Lord for all the incredible things He has done in my life since that day. 

• He gave me an eternal home in Heaven. It is 100% assured to me that when I die, there is a place for me in His Kingdom. (1 John 5:13) What a promise! 
• He made me His child. (Gal. 4:5) Even if I lost everything and everyone that is dear to me tomorrow, I would never be alone. I have a Father in heaven that loves me more than anyone on this earth ever could!
• He has continually grown me since that day in 2007. Though I am so, so far from perfect, and I still make mistakes day after day...I can look back over the path of these 10 years and see how each and every trial and triumph has worked out for His glory in my life. I would not be who I am today without those things that He has brought me through!
• He has never forsaken me. Though there have been times that He has seemed far away due to my own sin and foolish choices, He has never left me. He is always there to pick me up when I fall, to forgive my sin, to guide me when I face tough decisions, and to chasten me when I stray from Him. 
• He has showered me with SO many material blessings. From my family to a warm house to live in, to clothes on my back, a church home, money in my bank account, and food on my table...He has blessed me much more than I could ever deserve!!!

I don't know where I would be if I hadn't made the choice to follow Christ starting 10 years ago. I frankly don't even like to think about it--life without God's saving grace would not be a life at all! My entire outlook on everything; finances, friends, relationships...everything is seen through different glasses. I am no longer a ship without an anchor. I am under the hand of the Captain who spoke the wind and seas into existence. I'm not wandering lost in the wilderness; I am safe in the fold of The Great Shepherd. I'm no longer fighting on the losing side, in bondage to sin. I joined the army of the King of Kings, who gave His own life to set me free. I have a new name, a new family, a new song of praise to Him. I am a new creature. So while today marks an anniversary, I don't ever want to stop praising my God for His love for me, any day of the year. I want to keep growing in my love and service to Him so that whether I live another 10 years or another 100 years, I can stand before The Lord and hear Him say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord!"

Mykaela

A Lesson Learned From a Chocolate Kiss

Hey everyone!

It's a brand new week with new opportunities to serve The Lord! :) Today I'd like to share something small and funny that I experienced recently, that I think has good application to our lives. It's something I talk about a lot, but also needs to be talked about a lot, because we forget it. All the time. :(

So I had my two year old little sister in nursery today, and since we had a couple families missing, it was just me and her. As I sat on the floor listening to my dad's sermon over the small speaker, I noticed that I still had a small baggie of assorted Valentine's Day chocolates in my purse from a coworker. I got it out, and unwrapped a Hershey's kiss for Miriam. She was thrilled, (duh! ;), and popped the whole thing in her mouth. For a kid her size, a Hershey's kiss is a rather large mouthful, but she managed, only drooling a little bit. As she struggled to chew this enormous hunk of chocolate, she instantly started pointing at my purse and yelping, as much as she could yelp, that is, for more. I laughingly unwrapped a second chocolate, (the last one in the bag), and gave it to her when she was finished with the first one. Again, with her mouth literally stuffed to overflowing with chocolate, she starts screeching for more?! When I told her they were gone, (not that I would have given her more anyway!), she threw a fit. She got in trouble at this point. ;P 

Anyway, after the unpleasantness was done, I got to thinking; how many times do I do this to God? He fills my life to overflowing abundance with blessings. And sometimes, I literally ignore those in my eagerness to ask Him for more, and more and MORE things. How unfathomably stupid can I get?! My mouth is stuffed with chocolate, so I can't even scream, and I sit here hyperventilating in my attempts to throw a tantrum for more chocolate. Wow. How God puts up with me, I'll never understand. 

And yet He does.

Day after day, year after year, He still chooses to give me chocolate. How much chocolate do you take for granted?

Mykaela

What Does God Think of Us?

Psalm 103:12-14 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.

I wish I had some good, clever, or valid excuse as to why I haven't posted anything in the last two weeks, but all I can say is two words. Writer's block. You thought that was just for novelists or people who write all day every day? Yeah, well, it's not. ;P I've had it for a little while now, so bear with me. :)

I was reading these verses the other night, and thinking about them in a new way. As far as the east is from the west...how far exactly is that? Well, as my littlest brothers are very fond of saying: "It's infinity far!!" You can go east for ever and ever, without ever coming to a point where you are going west, and vice versa! That's a pretty long way. And that's how far He removed our sins from us when we came to Him through Christ for salvation! They can never be retrieved. We can never again be blamed for them because they are under the blood of Christ.

A lot of people have a completely twisted idea of God. They have this thinking that God is some kind of dictator sitting in heaven just waiting anxiously for us to mess up, so He can punish us for our sin. Nothing in this world could be farther from the truth! For those of us who are saved, we are the children of God. You are His child. If you are striving with all your heart to walk in His ways, living in the fear of The Lord, and trusting Him to guide you into the path of truth, God is not just waiting to blast you into a cinder!! He pities, supports, loves, and upholds you. He knows the weakness of your flesh, the struggles you face, the temptations that at times seem overwhelming...because he went through all of that too. Hebrews 2:18 says, "For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted." What an encouraging thing to realize--that God knows what we're going through!

Please note: With this being said, I am not in any way downplaying the justice or holiness of God. Yes, God loves and pities us, but He is also perfect in righteousness and does not take sin lightly. Neither should we. Just wanted to make that clear.

In all the many distractions swirling through our lives, please let's not lose sight of the fact that God wants to have sweet fellowship with us. Would you go entire weeks or months, (or even days!), without ever communicating in any way with your very best friend? Think about that. No texts, no calls, no sending them a fun pin or post you found. Nothing. For most of us, that sounds terrible, because we love our friends and family, and want to communicate and spend time with them! So why should it be ANY different with the One who saved us from spiritual death, promised us life eternal with Him, carries us safely through each day, showers us with constant, moment-by-moment blessings...the list goes on! How can we "not have time" for God?! Let's just step back a bit more, and walk with Him. Go to a quiet place alone, and sit down with your Bible and a notebook, and just be still. No phone, no distractions, just communication with The Lord. (Aren't you glad you can talk to Him instantaneously, no technology needed? ;) I guarantee you that no moment spent at The Saviour's feet will be wasted. Have a wonderful weekend! Love,
Mykaela

Adding, Growing, Thriving!

2 Peter 1:5-11 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. 

Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (emphasis mine)

These verses have really been changing my life lately, which is why I included a longer passage today. My dad has been preaching through Second Peter 1 in his Sunday morning messages, and it has been SO good!! 

What I used to think when I read these verses ran something along these lines... "Add to my faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge...how will I ever know where I fall on this list?? Like yes, I have my faith in Christ, and I am working on virtue and knowledge, etc., but no one is ever fully virtuous, or knowledgeable, or Godly, or anything! How do I know when I've grown enough in one area to move on to the next?" 

I realize it probably sounds dumb, but that's how I understood it (which was wrong ;). Thus, I never ended up really applying these verses to my life, because I could never truly understand them! Here are some of the points my dad made as he was explaining.

1. Giving all diligence...

"Diligence" speaks of fervency and commitment. It is the purpose of your life to work on this.

2. Add to your faith...(etc.)

Here's the part where things finally made sense to me. He described this process like a tree. When you plant a tree, the seed doesn't think, "Ok, I need some roots. I'm going to create a massive, spreading root system. Alright, that's done, now I need a trunk, I'll shoot a trunk straight up, 80 feet high. Check. Now we'll need some leaves, lemme just pop those out of my big trunk...oh, whoops, forgot the branches, I'll put those out now, along with some twigs." Have you ever seen a tree grow this way?! ;P If you do, put a camera on it, because that's an extremely unusual tree. ;) How trees grow is all at once! They grow the trunk, branches, twigs, leaves, roots, and bark, all at the same time. And this is how we are supposed to be growing in faith, virtue, and the rest--all at once! Day by day, striving after holiness and growth in every one of the things on this list.

3. For if these things be in you...

If you are diligently growing in all of these areas...

4. They make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Who wants to live a spiritual life that is "barren" and "unfruitful"? Any takers? No? Yeah, I didn't think so. We all want to be vibrant and fruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ!!

5. But he that lacketh these things is blind...

If someone can't see far off, we call them "nearsighted". Someone who is lacking growth in these areas is spiritually blurry, nearsighted, even blind! How sad of a Christian life is this? :(

6. If ye do these things, ye shall never fall...

What if you went into a battle, or even a game, with the absolute, 100% certainty that you would win? As in, there was zero chance of you losing? Would you be nervous or scared going into it? Of course not! If something is dead sure, you don't even have to worry about it! In this passage, God just gave us a certain recipe for victory in the Christian walk. No fail. Impossible to lose. Ye shall never fall! So a Christian that is diligently seeking after and growing in all these things, will not be barren, unfruitful, or blind! He will be thriving, fruitful, visionary, and growing in the knowledge of the Saviour. 

7. For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

The phrase "ministered unto you" is translated similarly to a word used in the days of the Roman Empire. When a General successfully conquered a new land, or won a great battle, etc., a wealthy person in the General's home city would sponsor a great feast or a series of games. This person would provide everything needed for a huge celebration on the General's return. This is what "so an entrance" is talking about. What this is saying is that Jesus Christ will make the entry of a truly faithful servant into His kingdom to be glorious. It's SO an entrance. There is no word to describe the incredible beauty of this homecoming celebration, it's just so an entrance. And just as people praised the senator who would sponsor the games more than the general who was the guest of honor, thus the glory will go to our Lord. The One who ministered such a glorious entering in for one of His faithful and steadfast servants. This is how I want my entry into Heaven to be!! Don't you?

Mykaela

Sunday Snippets: Through The Word in 30 Days?!

Ezra 7:10 "For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments."

Psalm 119:16 "I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word."

Joshua 1:8 "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."

So this month I have been reading through The Bible in 30 days. Today is Day 12, and I am actually ahead of schedule by a few chapters. It has definitely been a challenge and a blessing! I've never read it in shorter than a year before, so it feels kind of crazy. ;) Today I'd like to voice my thoughts on what I've learned from reading God's Word in so short a space of time. 

1. You get a really nice "big picture" or overview.
I was kind of expecting that reading through so quickly would make my comprehension go down quite a bit. Maybe it has in some ways, but at the same time, when you read about Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the formation of the nation of Israel ALL in one day, it's really cool to then read about their journeys as a people the next day, and have all the recent history fresh in your mind, so to speak. It's been great to get a vision of the whole thread of God's narrative throughout the Bible, and all the symbolism pointing to Christ, from the very beginning. 

2. It takes dedication.
When I started this, I really did not want to begin it and then fizzle out three or four days in. I wanted to see it through all the way. Praise God I have been able to do so thus far, (and Lord willing I'll be able to finish it), but it has definitely taken a lot of time and dedication. If you want to do something like this, you have to be determined: it doesn't happen by accident. This being said...

3. It is so, so good to spend more time in God's Word.
It takes me around 2 hours a day, cumulatively, to finish the section. As a result, I have not had as much time to spend browsing Pinterest, reading other books, or wasting time in various other ways. And it has been really, really good for me! The self discipline of choosing what is more important, God's Word or my "fun time", has helped me to refocus my priorities instead of doing my own thing. 

4. God manifests Himself so clearly in EVERY book of The Bible. 
So many times we tend to skip over the long genealogies in Chronicles, or the preparations for the tabernacle, etc., but honestly...every word of God is pure! Throughout His Word, God manifests His glory and love for His people. The fact that God wanted them to live for Him and only Him, turning completely away from other gods and people groups that hated the true God; in everything He displays the great compassion and love He has for those who choose to serve Him faithfully. 

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I would highly recommend that you at least pray about going through The Bible in a shorter period of time soon. Even if it's 40 days, or two months, or whatever...it's really been eye opening to me, and I think you would be blessed by it as well! :) If you do decide to do it, let me know and we can keep each other accountable! I think accountability truly can help so much with things like this. And whether you decide to read the whole Bible through right away or not, do try to spend more time in The Word...time spent with God is never wasted! God bless you all this week!

Mykaela

Sunday Snippets: Thankful on the Wonderful Days

Deuteronomy 8:11-14 "Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage..."

We've got a bit of a longer passage today, but I encourage you to read it carefully. Let's break it down and analyze it a little bit. In these verses, God is giving us a solemn warning, signified by the term "beware". When anyone says beware, it's usually best to listen, but when the God of the universe says it, you absolutely better hold everything and pay attention. 

So what is God warning us of? In verse 14, it tells us: the warning is against us becoming lifted up in pride and forgetting The Lord who has done so much for us. Wow. In the verses following, it lists some of the things that God has done for the children of Israel. Since we are applying it to ourselves today, let's list some of the things He has done for us. 

Are you on your way to heaven? Has God given you a family and friends? Do you have a roof over your head, clothing on your back, and food to eat? Do you have a means of income, however small? Do you have a church? My guess is that most of us are blessed with all of this and a whole lot more. The God who gave us all these incredible benefits, and holds our very existence in His hands...surely we couldn't forget Him, right?! Obviously God would not be warning us against this grave sin unless it were possible for it to happen!

Now that we have established this, when are we in the most danger of falling into this trap? When bad things happen, maybe? Or when our pockets are empty and we don't know how we are going to pay the rent or buy dinner? 

No. 

No, this awful error of pridefully turning our backs on God will become a temptation in a completely different time. A time when everything is going our way! When we have lots of money in our checking account, delicious food overflowing the pantry and fridge, and extra time to spend vacationing, hanging out with friends, and relaxing. In short, when all is right with our world, so to speak. 

In those great days, when the sun is sparkling down on us, is when God says to beware; to watch and be so cautious. Because it's at that time that we can become complacently lifted up in our own pride...we can begin to think that it's of our own goodness or strength that we were able to get these things! And from there, it is a slippery slope downhill. Eventually, we could be led completely away from following God, who is the One who poured these blessings on us in the first place! Oh what a black day it would be for a Christian to turn their back on God as they revel in His gifts! 

So how can we fight against this happening to us? In the verse before this particular passage, it tells us: "When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee." We combat the sin of unthankfulness and pride by blessing God's name! Every single day of our lives, whether we wake up to sunshine or rain, we need to be praising God for the blessings He has given us. I don't care how bad you think you have it, I can promise you that if you're God's child, He has not abandoned you, and if you look for it, you will see that you have so much more to be thankful for than you think! Be careful...be so, so careful to never stop worshipping at The Saviour's feet, whether your wallet is full or empty. Spend time in His Word, listening to what He has to say. Serve Him with your whole heart. And if He has you rich or poor physically at this time in your life, you can always become more rich in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. 

Thanksgiving is coming up, what are you most thankful for? I hope you all have a wonderful week!
Mykaela

Sunday Snippets: Facing Crossroads

Psalm 84:11 "For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly."


Have you ever faced a difficult decision where you could either hold on to the familiar in fear, or step out by faith into the unknown? It can be really scary territory, but it can also be really exciting. And if you are too afraid to step out and find what God wants you to do, you will be missing so much! 

So here are four ways that God can and will help you in these tough, and potentially life-changing decisions, taken from this verse. Ask and ye shall receive! 

1. "The Lord God is a sun..."

What does the sun primarily do? It gives light! God will show you what the next step will be. We all know the verse that says His Word is a lamp unto our feet and light unto our path; well, why don't we apply it? All you have to do is act on what you know God wants you to do today...five years from now you will be exactly where He wants you to be if you are following Him day by day by day!

2. "...and shield"

Do you think God can protect those who are walking in His path? I do! So many times we look at the unknown, and draw back for fear of the dangers that may be lurking beyond that decision. But how many times has God let you down when you were doing His will? Never. It doesn't happen. If bad times come, He is still there to hold us up and keep us from being overcome. In the words of Psalm 91, "...He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust:"

3. "The Lord will give grace..."

Wherever this path leads you, God will give you grace to walk it. Whether it turns out to go through a dark valley, or a beautiful meadow, He can grow you through it if you let Him! When you are trusting Him and walking by faith, He will make you stronger and more like His Son, Jesus Christ. 

4. "...and glory"

God will bring to pass great and mighty things when you trust His plan!! Such great things that you can't even begin to imagine everything He has in store! He will bring glory out of your decision to follow His Word, no matter how big or small the choice may be. God is glorified in the lives of His children who faithfully follow where He leads. 

This last part of the verse is the most beautiful of all, in my opinion. "No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly." Did you catch that? NO GOOD THING! That means nothing!! God will not withhold His blessings when you are walking uprightly and without reproach. He will bless so much more abundantly than what you think is possible! God is not looking to thwart you. He is looking to give you the absolute best. So if your plans or dreams get in the way of that, He will replace them with something so much better. And yet many, many times we look at our life during that "replacement process", and moan and groan about how unfair it is that God is ruining our plans. What foolish people we are! God will not withhold any good thing from those who step out in faith, trusting Him to do what's best, and walk day by day uprightly and with a pure heart before Him. If you face a scary decision today, think carefully on this verse. If you ask Him, God will give you light, protection, grace, and glory. He will not withhold any good thing! 

Mykaela

Sunday Snippets: Why All the Trials?

Numbers 11:11a And Moses said unto the LORD, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant?

I want to share with you a short devotional that I read the other day, by C.H. Spurgeon. It really touched my heart, and I hope it is an encouragement to you as well. So many times we ask God this question. "Why am I being afflicted? What's the purpose of this trial? What have I done wrong?" Sometimes trials are for the purpose of correcting us, but I think more often they are not. They are to grow and refine us! Anyway, here is the devotional. :)

"Our heavenly Father sends us frequent troubles to try our faith. If our faith be worth anything, it will stand the test. Gilt is afraid of fire, but gold is not: the paste gem dreads to be touched by the diamond, but the true jewel fears no test. It is a poor faith which can only trust God when friends are true, the body full of health, and the business profitable: but that is true faith which holds by the Lord's faithfulness when friends are gone, when the body is sick, when spirits are depressed, and the light of our Father's countenance is hidden. A faith which can say, in the direst trouble, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him," is heaven-born faith. 

The Lord afflicts His servants to glorify Himself, for He is greatly glorified in the graces of His people, which are His own handiwork. When "tribulation worketh patience; and patience experience; and experience, hope," the Lord is honoured by these growing virtues. We should never know the music of the harp if the strings were left untouched; nor enjoy the juice of the grape if it were not trodden in the wine-press; nor discover the sweet perfume of cinnamon if it were not pressed and beaten; nor feel the warmth of fire if the coals were not utterly consumed. The wisdom and power of the great Workman are discovered by the trials through which His vessels of mercy are permitted to pass. 

Present afflictions tend also to heighten future joy. There must be shades in the picture to bring out the beauty of the lights. Could we be so supremely blessed in heaven if we had not known the curse of sin and the sorrow of earth? Will not peace be sweeter after conflict, and rest more welcome after toil? Will not the recollection of past sufferings enhance the bliss of the glorified? There are many other comfortable answers to the question of our text, let us muse upon it all the day long."

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Psalm 119:67 says, "Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word." Let's remember that when trials come, we need to lean on The Lord and trust that He is bringing about our growth and His glory! Don't let your trials make you bitter. God knows what He is doing! I hope you all have a wonderful week! :)

Mykaela

Sunday Snippets: Guess Who Has Moved!

Jeremiah 29:12-13 "Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart."

1 Chronicles 16:11 "Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually."

Isaiah 55:6-7 "Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."

I heard a quote recently that gave me pause. I can't remember who said it, or I would give credit, but anyway it wasn't me. ;) They said, "If you feel far from God, guess who's moved!" 

Wow.

If I feel far from God...who has moved? Obviously if two people or things were once close, and they are now apart from each other, one or both of them has moved. We know for an absolute fact from God's Word that He NEVER changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So if I am far from God, He has not moved. I have.

More times than I can count, when I realize that my daily devotions are slipping, I shove the thought aside, thinking things will get better on their own. Stupid, Mykaela!! What I fail to think about is, if I'm not seeking God with my whole heart, how will my spiritual life improve?? Do I think that somehow I will magically draw near to God once more, when I am making no effort to do so? 

The verse in 1 Chronicles says we are to seek His face "continually". What is something else we have to do continually? The first thought that popped into my head was breathing. Can we just decide one day that breathing isn't that much of a priority...we can put it off for a couple hours with no harm done. Uh, no. That ain't gonna work, folks. 

Our walk with God should be just as important to us, if not more so, than our daily life-giving things like breathing, eating, hydrating our bodies, and resting. After all, Who is it that gives us the ability and strength to do these things? We are not guaranteed anything in this life. It is of The Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, for His mercies are new every morning. Did you ever notice in that verse how it says "every morning"? The Lord doesn't put off telling our bodies to wake out of sleep and have the strength to even get out of bed. Why do we refuse to seek the face of The One who gives us all things richly to enjoy?

It takes a conscious effort to draw near to God. He waits for us with open arms, like a Father asking His child to come; but we must run into His arms of our own volition. He is not going to force us to pursue close, sweet fellowship with Him. 

When we return from our selfish wanderings with repentant hearts, God will never refuse us His love! He will abundantly pardon our iniquities. All we have to do is turn from sin and call on His name. We tend to complicate everything, and yet it's as simple as crying out to our Father in the silence of our own hearts! God can do more in a moment's time to restore and make things right than we could do in a hundred years of trying in our own strength. 

We cannot live Godly without God. The very words are a contradiction. Without Him, we are nothing. 

Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. (Hosea 6:1)

Mykaela