Well, November has come and though it's not quite gone yet, it's almost there. And then it will be time for December and all the fun that that brings! The last two or three months, I've mentioned thinking that the month seemed to last a long time (in a good way). Well, a few days ago, I had been thinking this month was almost opposite and it seemed like it had just started. As I sat down to write this though, I realized that now it felt like it had been a long time since the beginning of November. So I'm not exactly sure. I guess it depends on which day you ask me. :P I'm gonna go ahead and jump into some of my favorites from this month, and I hope you'll jump down to the comments and share what some of yours were! Favorite EventsThere were so many wonderful things this month that it would take too much space to share them all, so I'm just going to share a few of them!
A Favorite SongThis is one I've been learning with our teen group for the Christmas play next month. It's such a good reminder every time I hear it of everything my Savior has done for me and how amazing it really is. A Favorite Verse"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's." ~Psalm 103:2-5 A Favorite Book
What were some of your favorites in these categories from November? How was your Thanksgiving?
2 Comments
So, with Thanksgiving coming up for those of us in the United States in just three days, I thought today might be a good day to think about what Thanksgiving is really about. It's easy to get caught up in all the preparations and business, but what's the point of celebrating it if you don't keep the true meaning, giving thanks to God, in mind? I was reading a devotion the other day that mentioned the verses at the beginning of 2 Timothy 3. The chapter starts, "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy..." and it continues on with other sinful traits that we're warned of. The devotion though focused on that word "unthankful." Reading that list, you get a pretty ugly picture. But unthankfulness? Sure, we know it's a sin, but does it stand out as something as bad as the others in this list? It must to God. It can be a sobering thought, but unthankfulness is often just the little crack into our hearts that the devil will use to draw us away from our Father. However, when we choose to be thankful, it tunes our hearts to recognize God's goodness. It turns our eyes away from ourselves and from all our problems and onto our Savior and the things He's done and is doing for us. It uplifts our hearts! Really, thankfulness is not just something that we give to God; it's something that He wants us to do because of what it does for our hearts. (Philippians 4:6-7: "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Giving thanks is part of what will allow God to give us His peace). So, in line with that, I wanted to challenge each of you today to leave a list of at least three things that you are thankful for down in the comments. They don't have to be what's most important to you. They could be small things. It's good to remember to be thankful for even those little blessings that God gives us. And then, after you think of those things, I encourage you to stop and give thanks to God for them. Here's three things that I thought of while writing this post:
Your mission, should you choose to accept it: share at least three things that you're thankful for today down in the comments!
This is the time of year that I find myself thinking about Christmas gifts. I'm usually not getting them yet, but I'm at least pondering what I could do for different people or what a certain harder-to-pick-for sibling might like. On a teenager's budget though (and I'm sure on other age group's budgets too!), it can be tough to be able to get something for everyone that you'd like to without spending way more money than you even have. So, in line with this, today I have nine ideas for Christmas gifts that don't require alot of money. Pray about ItThis may not strike you as a gift idea at first, but it really is the most important one on this list. God sees what we're trying to do for someone else and He'll take notice of that and help us if we ask Him to. One of my younger sisters once had a dollar, and she wanted to get all of her siblings a gift with it. It may have seemed impossible to us, but God did that for her. Another time one of my sisters had been wanting this pink toy vacuum cleaner, and my mom walked into a thrift store and found it. God will help us when we do something for others and, ultimately, for Him. Thrift StoresThis sorta ties back to the last story about the pink vacuum cleaner. Thrift stores are a great place to find things that, though not brand new, are still in good condition and often look like brand new. Clothes, dolls, games, little magnets or trinkets, and all sorts of other stuff can be found inside a thrift store for a much better price than the things are sold new. Make SomethingSometimes these are the best gifts. Do you like to draw? Draw a picture and frame it for them. You could make ornaments, magnets, or some other type of craft that you enjoy doing. If you like to knit or sew, that opens up a whole other world of possibilities. Another idea could be putting together a cookie or hot chocolate mix in a jar to give to the other person to make themselves. Do you like to write? Writing a story for someone can be a great gift (these can even be printed and mailed to family and friends who don't live near you almost like a Christmas card). One DIY gift that I've been given and was especially fond of is a journal-in-a-jar. You just take a jar, fill it with slips of paper with journalling questions on them (you can find ideas online, but writing at least some of them yourself allows you to include questions specifically pertaining to the person), and then decorate the jar according to their tastes. Then each day, or however often the receiver wants to do it, they can reach in and pull out a prompt to journal about. Group GiftsGetting something for all of your siblings or for a whole family together instead of each person individually can be another way to be able to get something you know they'd like without going over-budget. For instance, buying a series of books in paperbacks that you know two or three of your siblings like for all them allows you to get something they'll love but have three gifts covered in one. CDs (for kids, a couple ideas are Patch the Pirate or these Bible verses set to music) make great group gifts too. Candles, movies, board games, or the cookie or hot chocolate mix in a jar idea that I mentioned earlier also work. Book Sale at the LibraryRemember the story that I mentioned earlier about my sister who had a dollar and wanted to get each of her siblings a gift with it? This was where God allowed her to find a way. Sometimes when books have been donated but aren't going to be put into circulation or the library is getting rid of certain books, they'll sell them for just a few cents! Of course, you have to look through them and make sure they're okay, but it's a great place to check if you're trying to get a gift for someone who loves to read (or maybe a cookbook for someone who loves to cook). Do Something with ThemNot all gifts have to be tangible things. You can make memories with people by doing things with them as a gift. Last year, me and my siblings practiced a play and did a play night as a gift for our parents. It didn't cost us anything but a few dollars for the hot chocolate and things we got for that night, but it allowed us to make some fun memories with them (and with each other as we practiced for it). Last Christmas I also had fun getting Christmas stories and reading them to my siblings during the days approaching Christmas. Going somewhere with them one day (like out to walk around stores or for coffee or just something to spend time together like that) can be a good gift. There's alot of possibilities under this category, and it all depends on the person's tastes and how far your imagination goes. A Subscription to SomethingA music or movie subscription (as long as you know that it's good and what you're getting into!) can make useful but fun gifts. This may not strike you as cheap at first, but if you use it as a group gift, it can be a really good deal. There's also all sorts of magazines that you can subscribe them to. Notes/CardsChristmas cards are a classic gift, but they don't grow old. Sending a note with a picture to family or friends that live somewhere else (or even ones that live near you!) is a great way to show people that you care about them and are thinking of them. You could even combine the DIY idea with this one and decorate the card yourself to make it even more personalized. Cookies/DessertsThis is one that we did on a year that we went to visit our family out-of-state for Christmas. We made a few different types of cookies, packaged them in freezer-size Ziploc bags, and then gave one of the bags to each household that we visited. Brownies, fudge, or homemade candies could be fun too. (And think of how inviting someone else to help you make them could be a neat Christmas memory with them!). Have you ever used any of these ideas? Do you have any other ideas to add to the list?
I think we all know that our Bible is precious. After all, It's how God has told us about His plan of salvation and His love for us. But sometimes, at least I know it is for me, it's easy to lose sight of just how precious our Bible is. It's not just an encouraging book, and it's not even just an amazing book, but it's a living love letter that our Creator and the God of the universe has written to every single one of us personally to tell us what He desires us to know. He created us, which is amazing in itself, but what's more amazing is that, even after we fell into sin and turned from Him, He still loves us enough to give us a Way to know Him personally, and that's through His Word. What love! So, today, I wanted to go over seven things that makes our Bible precious. These will hardly cover any ground of how amazing It really is, but I think it will be a good reminder to all of us about what a gift we have in our copy of the Bible. Before we get into those points though, I encourage you to take a moment to listen to this song. Even if you've already heard it before, give it a listen and think about the words to it. Seven Reasons Our Bible is Precious1) It was written by God.This is the number one reason our Bible is precious, and it's also probably the most obvious. But even still, it's an amazing thought! The Bible is God's love letter, not just to the world in general, but to every single one of us personally. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." God used human writers to write the Bible, but the words are still directly from Him. He made known to the writers of the Bible what it was that He wanted written down. Some people try to say that God just gave the human writers the ideas and that they wrote them down, but a close study of 2 Timothy 3:16 shows us that that idea is false. The Greek word for "scripture" used is "graphe." "Graphe" means "writing." God wrote not just the central idea of Scripture but the words themselves, and He used human authors to do it. 2) It's eternal.God's Word stands for ever. It can never be destroyed, changed, or defiled in any way. God promises that It will endure forever. Matthew 24:35 is one of the places that He promises that: "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." Another is Isaiah 40:8, "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever." You'd think that over the years and with It being translated into different languages that It would change. But It hasn't. Just like God promised. Now that's not to say that there aren't versions of the Bible that are defiled and that weren't translated correctly, but God's Word is still the same, and when a modern version has been translated correctly, It is God's Word, just like It was when He originally gave the words to the human authors. 3) It's inerrant.The word inerrant means "without error throughout." The Bible doesn't contain a single error. Proverbs 30:5a says, "Every word of God is pure..." We can know that It's inerrant simply because God says It is, but we can see proof of it too. Prophecies have been fulfilled; historical things It speaks of have been found to be true (like the discovery of the Hittites or of Ahab's ivory palace); and scientific things, though they may not have been universally accepted at the time, have been proven (like the discovery of currents or that the earth revolves around the sun). 4) It changes lives.Hebrews 4:12: "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing assunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." The Bible is powerful! It cleanses us, brings us to salvation, and then makes us more like Christ. This Book is alive. Psalm 119:9 talks about the Bible's life-changing ability: "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word." There are so many examples of lives that have been changed by the Bible. My life has been radically changed by the Bible, and I hope yours has too. There are probably people all around you who you can look to as a testimony that the Bible changes lives. Looking through history, there are still yet thousands of other examples. Queen Victoria is someone we can see in history who recognized the power of the Bible. She is recorded to have told an African diplomat, when he asked how England had become so great, "What is the secret of England's superiority among the nations? Go tell your prince that this [the Bible] is the secret of England's political greatness." Here is an example of where the Bible changed a whole nation! Daniel Webster wanted the same thing for those in our nation: "If there is anything in my thoughts or style to commend, the credit is due to my parents for instilling in me an early love of the Scriptures. If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper; but if we and our posterity neglect its instructions and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity." 5) It's indestructible.Like we mentioned earlier, God promises this. Matthew 5:18 says, "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." A jot is the smallest letter in the Greek alphabet, and a tittle is a small stroke in writing (like the dot on an "i"). Not even the smallest stroke of a letter will pass from God's Word. It's indestructible! People throughout history have tried to destroy the Bible, but, like God already told us, it never has worked. One example is the Roman emperor Diocletian, who wanted to destroy Christianity. Having been told that the way to go about that was to destroy the Bible, he decreed in A.D. 303 that every Bible should be destroyed. He put up a column that, translated into English, said, "The name of Christian is extinguished." Only nine years later though, Constantine came to power, who made Christianity the main religion of Rome and the cross his military symbol. (Now I'm not saying that everything Constantine did was right or even that he was saved, but it's still a testimony to the fact that Diocletian could not destroy the Bible). Only nine years later! Later in history, an atheist philosopher, Voltaire, claimed that, "One hundred years from my day there will not be a Bible in the earth except one that is looked upon by an antiquarian curiosity seeker." However, only twenty years after he died, his house was purchased to be used to print Bibles in. Later, it was a headquarters for the British and Foreign Bible Society, who sent Bibles throughout the continent. 6) People have died for it.Over history, Christians have died so that those after them could have a copy of the Bible. William Tyndale, who translated the Bible into English from the original Hebrew and Greek, was strangled and then his body burned at the stake. John Rogers, another man who worked on the production of an English Bible, was burned alive at the stake. Missionaries over the years have been martyred for coming into a country and sharing God's Word with the people. Though we may not often think about, there are still Christians in other countries who face persecution or even death for their choice to follow Christ. The Bible was precious enough to these people to die for. If they gave their lives for It, It must have had a precious meaning to them. Is it that precious to us? 7) It's our hope.I Peter 1:3-5 says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." We who have accepted God as our Savior have a lively hope! The Bible and It's message to us allows us to have something to look for, something to live for in every moment! If it wasn't for our God, there would be no purpose for living. Life would be miserable. But with Him, we can't even wrap our minds around what we have to look forward to both in eternity and in every moment that we live. And His Book isn't just there to lead us to salvation. It's there for us to go back to every day and draw strength and wisdom and encouragement from. It's how God teaches us things, things that we don't deserve to know, but that He still desires us to know anyway. It's easy to take the Bible for granted. But let's remember how precious It is! Not everyone has one; not even every Christian has one. It's a blessing that we've not only grown up with access to a Bible in our language, but for most of us, we also have our own personal copy that we can read whenever we want to. Let's go to It for strength and to grow in our Father. It truly is an amazing gift from Him! Why is the Bible precious to you?
|